Everything's bigger in Texas, including, apparently, the government. A Texas lawmaker has filed a bill that would punish parents who skip out on parent-teacher conferences. Representative Wayne Smith's proposal, if passed, would result in fines and a criminal record for parents who miss a scheduled meeting with their child's teacher. Schools would send the parents a written notice with three proposed dates, and parents who ignore the notice or fail to show up with a reasonable excuse ("my dog ate it" or "I got a note from Epstein's mother", for example) would run the risk of being charged.
Irony of ironies - Smith is a Republican; yeah, the same guys who claim to believe in minimal government and being fiscally conservative. What better way to put forth the principles of the party of Lincoln than to enact yet another law that expands the state's authority, adds more expeditures to the state's budget, and puts an additional burden on the state's legal system. While I do think parents need to make their children's education a priority, passing punitive laws is not the way to go.
The bill seems like a long shot to pass, as opponents are raising questions about how effective it will be, and how it will be enforced. Suggestion: how about making it easier for working parents to take time out of their day for such meetings? Offer tax incentives to companies who give their employees time off to attend school-related functions. Yeah, crazy talk, I know. Hopefully Texas voters and lawmakers will use a little common sense and shoot this one down
