Click here to listen to the Delaware State Board of Education’s December 2011 meeting. The high school dropout summary starts at 48:15 on the audio recording.
Delaware Department of Education has no concrete explanation for such a high numbers of high school dropouts at the 9th grade level.
In Delaware its legal for student to dropout of school at the age 16. However, it is my understanding the parent must approve their child’s decision. It’s obvious per DEDOE’s report reasons for dropping out for many students is unknown.
A few years ago there was talk about raising Delaware’s legal dropout age from 16 to 18. From a few conversations I have, some folks felt why raise the age because we’ll be stuck with disruptive students who don’t want to be there.
Why should a child of 16 as a minor have such authority in such a critical decision? With all the new school reform going on perhaps its time to address the need to strengthen Delaware’s current law. Perhaps, the law should require a signed consent form by the parents and the students with reason for dropping out. Otherwise without the signed form it should be illegal for a student to just walk away. Someone during a discussion at a Red Clay board meeting said, “perhaps the student moved and enrolled in another high school”. Bullshit! How can one enroll in another high school without records being transferred?
This is from a previous post last week after the board meeting Delaware 2010-2011 Dropout rate 3.7% but up for Black students Minority leaders, WAKE UP !
Governor Markell, we need to fix the law and require students and parents to sign a high school dropout request form or otherwise, the dropout is illegal whereas both parent and student can be charged with truancy. Yes indeed this is another issue on Kilroy’s 2012 legislation agenda.
Did some research and I see no formal process for students wishing to dropout of high school or parents signing permission. Looks like we need some modification in the law.
§ 2702. Compulsory attendance requirements; evaluation of readiness [Effective upon fulfillment of the contingencies in 75 Del. Laws, c. 440, § 8]
(a) Except as otherwise provided, the following provisions are applicable to school attendance in this State:
(1) Every person in this State who has legal custody, guardianship of the person, or legal control of a child between 5 and 16 years of age, including any person acting as a caregiver pursuant to the provisions of § 202(f) of this title, shall enroll the child in a public school in the school district of the person’s residence.
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So LEGALLY a kid can drop out at 16. If they drop out at 14 what is the legal action they face? Do they get arrested? Do their parents? What if their parents are already in jail? Arrest the grandparents?
The only one getting hurt is the kid themselves. Dropping out will guarantee a lousy life, whether it be working at Walmart, selling drugs or being killed by age 22.
What they should do is enact a law that if you drop out you are automatically ineligible for any government benefits before age 40. No UI, no Medicare, medicade, or any other benefit.
Read this about truancy in Delaware ! http://delcode.delaware.gov/title14/c027/sc02/index.shtml
The year before North Star opened RC had one K-5 school with over 80% low income enrollment, last year RC had 6, we also had 2 over 70%. RC had 13 schools on Academic Watch, the most in the state, CSD the next highest had 8.
Since North Star opened every K-5 school except those made severely over-crowded because the Board approved choice that exceeded program capacity percent of low income students increased and enrollment declined.
The 9th grade class in school year 2007-2008 at Dickinson HS had 294 students, the 12th grade class in school year 2010-2011 had 76, or 218 fewer than the 9th grade class.
What impact did the RCSB’s mismanagement of choice have on our high schools drop out rate?
Do remember Brandywine purchase was not approved by the taxpayers, voted down twice. Also, it was opened as a 1-5 school with kindergarten added force admin to move to the White Elephant office building. The Brandywine was expanded to k-8. Now look at it, rate academic review . 14% poverty and 8.3% special ed and 86. white. All due to poor planning and growth. It should have never expanded to 8
Something is very wrong when 3 severely over-crowded schools created by mismanagement of choice by the Board is justification for a new 600 student K-5 school in the same area. Linden Hill is over-crowded yet 1.4 miles away is Heritage a school whose feeder enrollment is 286 under program capacity.
The negative consequences on our children will be far worse from our boards mismanagement of choice than from the boards mismanagement of our money.
[...] I posted this on January 24, 2012: Delaware is getting a jump on Obama’s keep them in school until age 18 and this on January 18, 2012: What do you think: A 16 year old should have the authority to sign himself out of school (dropout)? and this on December 22, 2011 DEDOE; the dog ate my homework re: high school dropout summary 2010-2011 [...]