In New Britain, Connecticut, a new official in charge of schools named Kelt Cooper wants to end high truancy (逃学) rates among public school students, and he’s suggesting financial punishments to get job done. A plan to fine students up to $75 for each day they skip school is now being considered by New Britain authorities.
The concept of fining kids for skipping school may come as a shock, but it’s not new. In Ohio, the parents responsible for a student guilty of habitual truancy can be fined up to $500 and/or be required to perform up to 70 hours of community service. Until recently, students in Los Angeles could be hit with a $250 punishment for each count of truancy; in early 2012 the law was changed and the heavy fines were removed, though a $20 punishment may still be handed out if a student truants for the third time.
Fines for truancy are also in effect overseas. In the UK, The Guardian reports, parents can be fined ￡50 (about $80) per skipped school day. The punishment doubles if it’s not paid within 28 days.
The question is: Do fines like this work? The vast majority of authorities in the UK said that, indeed, they do. The fines were believed either “very successful” or “fairly successful” by 79% in reducing truancy, according to a survey.
If the plan is passed in Connecticut, it’s unclear how effective the law might be, how to make parents and students obey the law and what might happen if they refuse to pay. However, local officials seem to be willing to give it a shot. According to the Hartford Courant:
“The mayor agrees that truancy is a real issue in New Britain schools, and what’s been done in the past hasn’t been working to reduce truancy.” said Phil Sherwood, assistant to Mayor Timothy O’ Brien.
And what do the students think? In the New Britain Herald, one 17-year-old entering her senior year called the plan “ridiculous” and predicted that the punishments will bring about negative effects on the court system. Besides, “I don’t see the point,” she said. “Kids will just try harder not to get caught.”
小题1: The passage mainly discusses whether __________.
A．schools have the right to punish students
B．authorities should consider protecting kids
C．students should be fined for skipping school
D．parents are responsible for children’s truancy小题2: If a British kid skips two school days and fails to pay fines in a month, the punishment will be __________.
A．two hundred pounds
B．fifty pounds
C．eighty pounds
D．a hundred pounds小题3: We can learn from the passage that ___________.
A．truancy is a serious problem in New Britain
B．Cooper’s plan has been passed in Connecticut
C．fining kids for truancy is a new idea in America
D．little has been done to reduce truancy in New Britain小题4: The underlined part “give it a shot” most probably means _____________.
A．get used to it
B．help improve it
C．try to carry it out
D．fight against it
