Reading the signs on truancy

Re “Gang up on truancy? Better late than never,” column, Feb. 12

Truancy and delinquency are closely related to both reading and health issues. The reason students avoid school and drop out is often their lack of scholastic success. Why would anyone want to attend an activity in which he or she is deemed a failure?

Poor reading is not just the schools’ problem. Reading is a social activity that depends on social support. Growing up in a neighborhood in which books, libraries and a culture of reading are absent does not support academic success. Neither does poverty and malnutrition. Studies show that even small improvements in a family’s income improve student health, readiness for school and academic success. Success in school has just as much to do with a living wage, health insurance, the availability of child care and adult education as it does with school discipline. It takes a healthy village to keep students in school.

WILLIAM H. DUBAY

Costa Mesa

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I am wondering if a lot of the kids who are truant from school are voting with their feet and would be better served by a school that was profoundly different from our one-size-fits-all, standardized-content public schools. I believe that a lot of these kids would be better served by alternative schools. Unfortunately, the strict state content standards for education make it almost impossible to launch a truly alternative school, even as a charter.

COOPER ZALE

Northridge