SAN DIEGO – Citing the importance of education in combating truancy and crime, District Attorney and candidate for mayor Bonnie Dumanis announced today her support for the San Diego County Office of Education’s plans to reduce truancy by asking parents and community members to be alert to truant youth in their neighborhoods. As part of the plan, county officials are requesting that adults who see children out in the community during regular school hours notify authorities.
“As District Attorney, this is an issue that I’ve been working with San Diego Unified School District on for some time. Last year, I sent a letter to parents throughout the district, providing information on resources, and warning them of the alarming problem of truancy and potential legal consequences of not resolving their child’s attendance problems. As I stated in my Framework for America’s Finest Schools, parents and parents groups must be part of the solution to the problems facing the district, and truancy remains a problem,” said Dumanis.
Dumanis’ comprehensive reform plan, launched last week, calls for public hearings to review the district’s plans for improvement at each district school and the progress of such plans. It’s estimated that each year California suffers $46 billion in economic losses, including $12 million in crime costs alone, when students drop out of high school. In 2009-2010 academic year, it was reported just over 1,000 of the district’s estimated 130,000 students were chronically truant.
“As District Attorney and a former Superior Court Judge, I have seen firsthand the link between education and crime. A quality education is one of the best weapons against future criminal behavior. We know that when students are not in class, everyone loses,” added Dumanis.
Reports show that high school graduates are less likely to commit crimes. Nationally, 68% of prison inmates did not graduate from high school. In addition, it is estimated that we can decrease murder and assault rates by about 20% with just a 10% increase in high school graduation rates. Statewide, such progress would translate into 500 fewer murders and 20,000 fewer aggravated assaults on an annual basis.
Comments 7
Elections are the key to getting shameless politicians out of San Diego’s elected offices. Career hacks that like to trump up charges on some Hispanics down in the South Bay who “pay-to-play” just like Bonnie does. Most clear-eyed voters can see through this sham maneuver of the D.A. to get her mug out there in front of the cameras and more time on KUSI “news.”
Nice coordination between raiding these people’s homes, charging them, hauling them into court and then breaking out the so-called education “reforms” that really are just a bunch of new layers of bureaucracy we don’t need.
It would be nice if the D.A. would stay out of the San Diego public schools and stop politicking on the tax-payer supported campuses. The hip kids know that Dumanis is a dud and likes to hassle the dispensaries. All other students run the risk of falling prey to becoming a photo op for Bonnie to look like she “cares” about education. Yeah, right.
Suggestion, Forthright Individual:
If it’s medical marijuana facilities that are your interest, make an argument along those lines to educate the rest of us why you are right. When you get into a host of other issues you know little about, it shows you have picked up those other anti-Dumanis sentiments along the way from others to add fodder to your real, single issue. Plus, it makes it quite apparent you smoked a doobie before your rant.
Spin Zone,
I think you would have to admit that it is somewhat suspicious that Supervisors Roberts and Slater-Price were not prosecuted for funneling millions of dollars to groups (World Trade Center and Mostly Mozart) that sent them on trips that would put to shame anything the accused in the South Bay ever received.
Come on, Alger, SOH check!
SOH?
We checked here…
http://www.acronymfinder.com/SOH.html
Guessing: Sense of Humor?
T.A.,
Thanks, but if that is correct, I really have no idea what Spin Zone’s point was?