William Marvel: Teaching Inconsistency

Last August, the school board debated amendments to the Conway School District's absentee policy. The proposed changes on excused absences seemed liberal enough at first glance, but they lacked a specific provision for parents to decide whether family activities warranted taking kids out of school. Wondering, probably, about trips that might include educational features, school board member Brittany Hodge raised a valid point by asking, essentially, whether children belonged to their parents or to the school district.

Randy Davison offered the equally reasonable rejoinder that the community pays a lot of money for public education, arguing that it shouldn't be lost to frequent absenteeism. Federal, state and local taxpayers spend about $175 per day to educate each Conway child at current enrollment and budget levels, so if a family of four takes a week's vacation, that theoretically squanders $1,750 in public resources — unless you discount $350 for one of our wasted Wednesdays.