District 73 Principal Battles Truancy with Alarm Clocks

When it comes to making sure students not only show up at school but that they are there on time, Robert Collins is serious.

He's so serious that he recently visited the homes of some students to deliver some special gifts: alarm clocks.

Collins, who previously served as the principal of Elementary South in , started as the principal of Middle School North on July 1.

One of his first goals was to take a look at attendance. He picked out the top 10 students with lots of tardies or absences, made a map and then spent a morning delivering the wrapped alarm clocks his wife picked up at a local store.

"Every kid thanked me and they said they were going to do better," said Collins. "It was fun."

Aside from being fun, though, Collins was on an important mission.

"It's so important getting your kids here on time," said Collins. "It's responsibility. We're preparing kids for the future."

"I think it sent a message," he added.

Collins said students are late for school or absent for a variety of reasons. Some parents let their children stay home from school simply because the children are tired. Some students are late because they overslept, Collins said. That latter issue can be attributed to the economy, with students waking up and their parents are already off to work.

New Lake County Truancy Rules

Getting those students to school — and on time — will be especially important this year, Collins said. The Lake County Regional Office of Education changed its rules this year regarding truancy, Collins said, requiring school districts to report students who have nine or more unexcused absences.

According to the Lake County Regional Office of Education, valid reasons for being absent include illness, observing a religious holiday, a family emergency or a death in the family.

If a student is referred to the regional office because of truancy, "the Lake County center for dropout prevention will assist the school in developing new strategies and techniques for working with the child," according to the regional office's website. "If there is no improvement in the child's attendance, and the school has exhausted all available resources, the school can request a truancy hearing at the Regional Office of Education. If attendance still does not improve, the case may be referred to the State's Attorney's Office."

"There are severe consequences," said Collins.