At Nashua High School in New Hampshire, students aged 16 and older are now facing the possibility of being fined up to $100 per day for cutting class. This Monday, the Board of Education approved adding a penalty to the district’s attendance policy, so that students will not only get in trouble with parents and administrators for ditching school -- they'll pay actual money to the Board for their absences.
The fine won't apply to casual class-cutters: students would have to reach 20 or more unexcused absences before the district could issue a court summons. The District Superintendent emphasized that the goal is not to fine the students, but rather to use the threat of the fine and court summons to motivate them to go back to class.
Extreme, perhaps? According to West Virginia Supreme Court, maybe not: Earlier this week, judges stated that children who skip school are more likely to end up as adults who commit crimes -- and eventually end up in prison.
And schools in North Carolina have also been reacting to an increasing number of missed classes and dropouts: Greensboro's Dudley High School has recently enforced a new policy where students are stripped of academic credit if they miss more than four classes.
What do you think of these new penalties for students who skip class? Share your thoughts in the comments below.