"The previous government ceased to pursue prosecutions, I think that was a mistake," David Seymour says. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Parents who repeatedly refuse to send their children to school are more likely to be prosecuted as the government cracks down on truancy, but principals say prosecution is not the solution.
A primary school principal in Whangārei had earlier called for exactly this - in 2019 Hora Hora primary's Pat Newman called for more prosecutions for parents who deliberately fail to send their kids to school.
But six years on, he had changed his mind.
Newman told Morning Report prosecuting parents wouldn't work.
"This move, in my view, is about looking tough rather than actually doing something effective about it. Attendance is just a symptom, it's not a cause.
"I listened to the Minister this morning and he said it's not about punishing children, but if you are talking about fines of up to $3000 a day, then I can't see how that's not actually punishing children."
Hora Hora primary's Pat Newman. Photo: RNZ / Sam Olley
When asked why the change of heart, Newman said he called for prosecution in 2019 out of frustration, but had since embarked on a "really successful campaign".
"It's about communities and families and looking at how we can get these kids to school. It's about kids not at school because they are shifting because of the house rentals, or shifting because of jobs.
"Threatening to fine people, what are we going to do when we go from $300 a day to $3000, do we put them in jail then?"
Newman said the government should give schools the truancy budget money and let the them do "something effective".
"We are already running two buses at our own cost to get kids to school... to help kids who can't get to school, get to school."
If given extra money Newman said he would put on more buses, which was helping attendance at his school.
Principal of Kaitaia College Louise Anaru told Morning Report the schools and communities were best placed to make decisions about truancy.
"I think it's not a one size fits all.
"For our school for instance, what works for our communities and where we get the best engagement is when we all sit around the table together with our parents, whānau, student and we come up a really robust attendance plan together."
In the 16 years Anaru had been a principal, she said had not come across a situation where a prosecution was necessary.
She said she had also not come across people calling for the prosecution of parents.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Ministry of Education is proactively contacting schools and truancy officers. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Associate Education Minister David Seymour said the Ministry of Education was proactively contacting schools and truancy officers to ensure parents condoning truancy were referred to the Ministry to be considered for prosecution.
The rules were not changing, but the government was ramping up enforcement because schools and truancy officers said it was needed, Seymour said.
"There are some parents who just refuse to cooperate, don't care about their kids' futures, and the people working at the coalface have told me it would be helpful if they had another sanction that they could bring into play."
They wanted a "coercive power" that would ensure parents took school attendance seriously, Seymour said.
No parent had been prosecuted for refusing to ensure their kids attended school for more than five years, he said.
"The previous government ceased to pursue prosecutions, I think that was a mistake," he said.
"We're making it clear that the Ministry of Education is back in business and will respond to requests from schools to take prosecutions."
When a parent is referred to the ministry for condoning truancy, staff would decide whether to prosecute, and it would then be a matter for the courts, he said.
Parents faced fines of up to $300 for a first offence and $3000 for a second or subsequent offence.
Seymour said 90,000 students were chronically absent.
"We are not going to prosecute the parents of 90,000 students. This is an option for people working at the frontline ... if they have someone who is more of a 'won't' than a 'can't'."
The ministry would not prosecute parents of students who were "genuinely engaging" with the school, or those who were absent because of chronic illness or health conditions associated with a disability.
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