Virginia Parents Must Appear in Court for Kids’ Tardiness
A Virginia couple must face a judge in March for bringing their children late to school too many times. Amy and Mark Denicore of Waterford, Va., have both been charged with three misdemeanors, which carry a fine of up to $500 each.
A USA Today blog reports that since September, the Denicores’ three children, all under age 10, have been tardy 85 times, usually arriving minutes after the bell. The family lives just a few blocks from Waterford Elementary School, and Amy Denicore either drives them, or the children walk to school.
Mark Denicore, an attorney, told reporters that his children have missed less than three hours each since the school year began. He called the charges “pretty extreme.”
A spokesman for the school district says that schools are “charged by the state” to deal with problems like tardiness. “If somebody is coming in after the bell when everybody is seated and on task, the teacher then has to repeat the lesson and it is disruptive,” he says.
Readers, are these charges fair? How often are your kids late for school? What do you do to make sure they’re on time?
Image: Woman holding alarm clock via Shutterstock.
Categories: Parenting News, Parents News Now | Tags: court, law, school, tardy, Virginia
by Karen
On February 13, 2012 at 8:18 am
It IS harsh, but really, why were they tardy so many times? Looks like they need to work on some time management skills!
by Theresa
On February 13, 2012 at 8:20 am
I think that is way too extreme. I am sorry, but there is no sennse in doing that, but yet schools allow children to miss 20+ school days without the parents being in trouble. The total of 3 hours, I could understand if they were hours late, but just after the damn bell, come on. VA get over yourselves. This is idiotic. I hope the judge does the smart thing and laughs at the idiot prosecutor for even pressing charges on this issue.
by T
On February 13, 2012 at 8:29 am
I totally understand this. Being a teacher I must mark a child tardy even if it is 1 minute past the bell. No exceptions! We have put in a first bell to be sure they are here on time. Then the Tardy bell, like a second warning system. If someone is just blocks away, they really need to work on their morning routine! It is hard repeating myself each morning for those students of mine that are tardy. Takes away from the day when I have to explain what we are doing one, two, or 5 times as they all file in the doorway. I look at it this way…If I can make it from my MILES away on time,they can make it from their BLOCKS away on time.
by Kathy
On February 13, 2012 at 8:33 am
I agree that the fine might seem a bit harsh, but it’s the principle of the matter. What are these parents teaching their kids about responsibility? OK, so maybe 3 hours total learning time is lost. It’s more the principle of the matter; teach your kids the importance of time management, and showing respect for others. Like it mentions in the article, the teacher has to rehash whatever he or she already covered to get the children up to speed. If children don’t learn the importance of being on time now, how will they learn to do it when they have jobs – and when being consistently late is grounds for being fired? And the father’s an attorney – what would happen if he regularly showed up to court late? I’m sure the judge wouldn’t look kindly on it. With the family living that close, there shouldn’t be any excuse to be late that often. They should use better time management, perhaps wake the children up 10 minutes earlier, etc.
by Stephanie
On February 13, 2012 at 8:36 am
I have to get 3 kids under the age of 4 ready for preschool 3 times a week and drive 20 minutes to get there. I have been late ONE time. I guess since the parents obviously aren’t teaching their children the importance of being on time, the State will teach the parents!
by Becca
On February 13, 2012 at 8:36 am
I don’t think it’s too extreme maybe this will get the parents to work a little harder on getting their kids to school on time they live only a few blocks away, being late 85 times is inexcusable. Especially when it’s usually just a few minutes each time. Being late 20-30 mins means you over slept, a few minutes means you dragged your feet too long. Being sick and missing school is one thing as a child I used to get bronchitis several times a year I missed school quite a bit, but as parents it is our responsibility to make sure that our children arrive to school on time, we are the adults we make the rules.
by Melissa
On February 13, 2012 at 8:38 am
How hard is it to wake up and get your kids to school on time? Good for VA. Maybe this will give the parents a kick in the butt and help them to realize they need to take better responsibility for being parents!
by Lorie
On February 13, 2012 at 8:40 am
I think people should be held accountable. If school starts at 8am then school starts at 8am NOT 8:01am. I believe a lot of today’s problems are that society tries to please everyone and keep everyone happy. Those parents are teaching the children that it’s okay to do what you want, when you want and how you want. What type of adults will these children grow into if this is allowed to continue. School is ‘work” for children. When they grow and get a job, do you think they will keep it with being habitually late? I think not.
by Jennifer
On February 13, 2012 at 8:42 am
I live far from my kids school. They have special permision to go to their school. They have been tardy one time all year long and only because we got stuck at a railroad crossing. The train stopped and started to reverse. Completely out of my control. The number of times that this mother got her kids to school late is way to many but the punishment is kinda harsh. This mother needs to step up her game and show her children how important it is for them to be on time and the importance of being on time so that it is not an inconvinience for the teacher and the other students. Every mom can change for their children if they really want to. Hopefully she does.
by By S
On February 13, 2012 at 8:43 am
I think taking them to court may be to harsh, but late is late and it is disruptive to the class. I am a full time working parent and have always made sure my kids are to school on time. This is a building block for teaching kids a work ethic. The parents really need to have a better morning routine. When a kid is late maybe 1 or 2 times a year for legit reasons, that is different, but just plain rude when it is because of laziness in getting up and getting them out the door on time.
by w
On February 13, 2012 at 8:43 am
85 times? I can understand a few times…but 85? That’s just poor time management on the parents’ part. Those parents are doing their kids an injustice bringing their kids to school late and instilling to them that not following rules is okay and can be side stepped. Those parents have had plenty of warning before having to go to court and being fined. I am sure their kids’ school sent correspondence informing the parents of their kids tardiness. My own kid has told me when they are late, it throws the rest their day off.
by Amanda
On February 13, 2012 at 8:45 am
I’m sorry, but 85 times is ridiculous. I have a 6th grader, 5th grader and 1st grader. Combined they have all been late maybe 6 times in the history of their school attendance. I’m sorry that the judicial system has to waste time on stuff like this, but it is a parent’s responsibility to teach their children. It is a parent’s responsibility to see to it that their children make it to school on time, prepared for the day. The excuse is “it’s just a few minutes each day”, well it should certainly be easy to set your alarm 5 minutes earlier to make sure the kids are there on time. This is not about how much time they are out of school, this is about the parents are teaching their children that education is not important enough to be on time for. I bet they got the super bowl turned on in plenty of time! Making sure the kids are on time to school should be their #1 priority in the morning. I once drove my kids to private school 60 miles from home (i was attending classes in the same town) for a full year. 60 miles and my children were never late. Education is a priority in my home.
by A
On February 13, 2012 at 8:47 am
With children that young it is no ones fault but the parents if they are late. They should be held accountable. Are these parents late for work everyday? I doubt there is an employer in this country that would not fire someone for being late 85 times over the course of a few months. Even if it were only a few minutes each time. These parents need to be more responsible. Maybe they will be now.
by Christine
On February 13, 2012 at 8:48 am
actually T, I would rather the child be late by 3 hours ONE time than 3 minutes EIGHTY FIVE times!! I have an issue with my first grader being late because she doesn’t listen to me, nowhere near this bad, and we too JUST miss the bell. The lady who signs in the late kids told her that she would have to repeat the first grade if she got too many tardies, seemed to straighten her out! I have no problem with school systems doing what it takese, these parents have no excuse!
by Kim
On February 13, 2012 at 8:56 am
The state is totally correct in doing this, In fact, I think it is an encouraging show of support for the school. I am a teacher and a parent, and I am held accountable for my students’ success. To be a successful teacher, I need support from the upper ranks in matter such as truancy, tardiness, and school readiness. These matters are completely out of my control, and it is about time that parents’ feet were held to the fire. To support my daughter’s teachers, we get her to school on time every day.
by kamma
On February 13, 2012 at 9:01 am
These parents are teaching their children it is okay to be disrespectful to adults/all people, and specifically in this situation that other people’s time doesn’t matter. It is rude and irresponsible. 85 times? Really? Come on.
Not only does this behavior teach the child they don’t have to follow rules, but it tells them that adults will accept this behavior.
It tells them adults will allow it and will continue to let it happen. There have to be consequences to our actions, otherwise there would be no sense of order to our lives at all.
Beyond this, it singles the child out. Other children actually resent the child(ren) who are disruptive.
Parents wake up. Pay attention to what you are teaching your children and what you are doing to them socially.
I’ve worked with children a long time and trust me, they hate being singled out.
by Justine
On February 13, 2012 at 9:01 am
@by Theresa…I hear you loud and clear fellow teacher. These cases never come to light with ‘normal’ parents who are late occasionally…uh uh…these are parents who make a habit of being late. They then try to turn the attention back at the school and teachers. I have been teaching for many years and I can tell you that I have seen this exact family pattern many, many times over.
No sympathy for them. They should apolgise to their kids.
by Heather
On February 13, 2012 at 9:05 am
This is just dumb. Things are so strict and awful nowadays. People need to come back down to earth. I am late for everything and always will be. Is this a crime? Haha no. It’s not. School will sooner than later be a overly ridgid awful place for kids to be. Yes the kids should get to school on time who knows why they didn’t. But as far as it being criminal. That’s just funny. Doesn’t anyone remember when being a kid and going to school was fun and not a court case? Awful
by Sadie
On February 13, 2012 at 9:10 am
Good for the school! Someone needs to show those kids some responsibility, if the parents cant then the state should. If I was late for work a tenth of the times they were I would be fired (and I don’t even have to punch a time clock.) It sounds like pure laziness and lack of respect on the parents parts. It should not matter if the kids missed one minute each of those days or an hour late is late, rules are rules. I hope the judge gives them both the fine and doubles it each time they are late from now on!
by Heidi
On February 13, 2012 at 9:16 am
My kids have been tardy once this school year. Last year they were also tardy once but the school didn’t count it since the roads were really bad and they really should have cancelled school that day, everyone was tardy that day! I really think that this is a good thing; these parents need to wake up and teach their kids to be responsible! When attendance has been taken in the morning and a child comes after that, it actually affects the amount of funds that the school receives, they basically get funded by how many kids attend each day, and if a child comes in late they may not get any money to teach that child. Even on a day when my family had to pull our kids out of school for a family function we still had them go for a couple of hours in the morning so they could be counted along with the rest of the children.
by Diane
On February 13, 2012 at 9:19 am
I am a former teacher. An occasional late arrival might be excusable, but 85 times? The father stated that it’s “only” a little over 3 hours total. That’s time taken from instruction. Every time an individual arrives late, an entire class’ attention is taken off task. Time is lost attending to that individual’s arrival and in bringing the rest of the class’ attention back on task. These children are not being taught about responsibility for themselves or toward others.
by Krista
On February 13, 2012 at 9:29 am
I agree that charges are extreme; however, it seems like a “wake up” call…85 times thus far? That’s almost half of the school year, meaning they would have been late to school almost everyday, truly unacceptable. The root of the problem really needs to be addressed. There are so many ways for the children to be able to get up and out on their own and in fun ways. Make arrangements with neighbors or friends to walk together in the morning, this allows the children something to look forward to while giving their parents a peace of mind that they won’t be walking alone. Carpooling would be great because you would be under more pressure to not make someone else late and if you are they leave without you which I believe would be more impressionable upon the children. Maybe a way for the school to punish (since they have taken it upon themselves to bring forth the charges) is to keep the kids late after school for however many minutes they are that day if it continues to be a habit with tardiness!
by Robyn
On February 13, 2012 at 9:41 am
So, Mr. Attorney dad what would the judge say if you were strolling in to counrt just a minute after the start time 85 times since Sept.? I am pretty sure that he would be very unimpressed with you, not to mention your boss who is paying you for your time, and your client who is relying on you to represent them…which seems to me that you would then find yourself in the unemployment line. I would then take that thought and apply it to the things you teaching your children by telling them it is “okay” to be late to school 85 times for less than 3 hrs each. Not setting much of an example for you kids, are you?
by joan
On February 13, 2012 at 10:14 am
I totally agree with the school system. I have 2 children to drop off at 2 different schools and a baby who has to be brought with me everyday. My kids have
Not been late once. I had to go to court 6 years ago because my daughter was real sick and missed two weeks of school. And that was with a doctors note. I totally agree it is the parents responsibility to make sure their children are at school everyday and on time and these parents should be held accountable. There is no excuse for 85 tardies.
by sinikka
On February 13, 2012 at 10:16 am
That is way too often to be late, and I would say it is the parents fault, I don’t know about jail time…but I wouldn’t know what would be the right punishment either, and some kind of consequence for parents who always bring their kids in late should exist. I know if my son has would be tardy I would say it was my fault, our kids do rely on us to teach them how to be on time and if they are always tardy when we still help them how will they learn to be better on their own.
by JJ
On February 13, 2012 at 10:27 am
The 100th day of school for our district was at the beginning of February. If this school is following even close to the same calendar, then that would mean that the children had only been at school on time approximately 20 times. I too am a teacher and the most important part of my day is the first few minutes of school. When a child comes in habitually tardy it alienates the child because it frustrates the other students. It not only affects that one child but the entire classroom. Way to go VA! Make these LAZY parents accountable!
by tina
On February 13, 2012 at 10:41 am
It does sound extreme….but, look at it this way: what would happen to the parents if they arrived late to work that many times?!?! They would probably get fired. School is just like a job (for kids)…they might not want to go, but they have to. It’s a time management issue. Wake up 10 minutes earlier, and the kids will make it on time. I set all my clocks 5 minutes ahead. When I see the time, it helps me get moving and I put some pep in my step. Put more clocks all over your house!! It’ll help you keep track of the time better!!
by Suzanna
On February 13, 2012 at 11:01 am
The family lives “just a few blocks” from the school, and yet they are late 85 times so far this school year! Even if that is a combined amount of all three children’s tardies, that is still 6 school-weeks worth of tardies per/child! I’m not sure that I agree with court… that just seems like a waste of our judicial system for something that is rather trivial (judicial-wise). However, I do think that this family needs to change their morning routine (and most likely, their bedtime routine!) and get to school on time EVERY DAY! And I do think there should be some consequence if they have been warned and continue to arrive late.
by Tiffany
On February 13, 2012 at 11:04 am
The unfortunate consequence of this behavior is teaching your child that they DO NOT need to respect the rules of the school, the teacher, or the other student’s in class….these children will grow to become tardy middle and high school students who do not believe they are doing anything wrong…and their parents will defend them…it’s just another way to disrespect authority…try teaching your children the get where they need to be ON TIME….are you going to defend them when they see no reason to get to work on time and lose their job?? As parents, we must look at the bigger picture, and its simply pathetic that it takes an outside source to point that out to parents…
by Rebecca
On February 13, 2012 at 11:28 am
My daughter has been tardy 10 times this year due to the fact she has severe asthma and when she wakes up in the morning she usually is at her worse or we had a rough night and I let her sleep in. I get the letters from the school board threating me but in my case my judgement on my daughter health comes before school even if I have to go to jail or pay a fine for it.
by Alicia
On February 13, 2012 at 12:05 pm
None of you see a problem with the government telling you how to handle your children? Or since it is not your child in question it is okay? You have NO IDEA why these children are late and as for the teacher, if she/he doesn’t want to repeat themselves then DON’T! Next the police are going to be taking parents to court because their children didn’t eat the recommended amount of vegetables a day.
I understand the importance of teaching a child responsibility and time management, BUT it is not the governments right or responsibility to do so. Most of you are very judgmental but I bet the majority of you do things with your children that the government could find objectionable, like letting a 9 year old watch a PG-13 movie or letting them read books like Twilight or Harry Potter that have been banned in schools for various reasons.
As Rebecca stated, you have NO IDEA why these children are tardy, maybe they have a great reason like Rebecca’s daughter maybe they don’t but it is not up to you, a judge or anyone but the parents to decide what constitutes a “good reason.”
by Wendy Oswalt
On February 13, 2012 at 12:17 pm
85 times is totally ridiculous and that’s coming form someone who has struggled with this at times myself in the past. And as a parent you are shaping your child’s thinking. If you have had a hard day at work and you can’t leave until your relief comes, you know that a couple makes seems like an eternity and when it happens on a regular basis..Well when I was a boss it meant shape up or you’re losing your job!
by ss
On February 13, 2012 at 1:11 pm
This is not a matter of late or on time. It is a matter of ego. Having run many high level meetings, I always found that the only folks who were late were the ones who felt entitled to have everyone else wait on them- they did it as a show of power. These parents are creating a huge problem for everyone else- if it is that hard to get to school then they need to look into homeschooling or other more flexible options…
by Cat Webster
On February 13, 2012 at 1:51 pm
I’m a little surprised it would go this far, however, an example needs to be made. Obviously someone is just chronicly late. It’s a bad message to send your children, too. 85 times in 4 months? That is simply insane, and it is demonstrative of a self-absorbed personality. These parents need to make their children’s schedule more of a priority. While a few minutes late may not be much for other appts, work, etc, school scheduleds affecting so many other children are non-negotiable. THese parents need to be more responsible and show their kids how important school is and how important respect for others is by setting a positive example. No excuses. My mother would have dragged me out of bed by my feet if that’s what it took to get me ready on time, she did not tolerate tardiness, even for playdates. She set that example for me. In high school if I was running late, she hid my hairbrush and makeup and made me leave without finishing my routine so that I would make it on time. Lazy parents are the cause of disrespectful children, and there are far too many of those these days. Nip it in the bud any way you can.
by Cat Webster
On February 13, 2012 at 1:57 pm
And as for the person who is so paranoid about the government controlling how we raise our children, need you be reminded that most children go to government (tax) funded schools. If the parents aren’t getting control of this–and we as parents are ultimately responsible for our children, particularly this age–someone has to. As for the fact that we don’t know why they are always so late, if there was a medical issue the school would have been made aware and made arrangments. 85 times, that’s someone with poor time management. They obviously need to get the household up and moving earlier if thats what it takes to get everyone out the door on time. STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND BE A PARENT. STOP MAKING EXCUSES PERIOD. This is not being judgemental, this is calling it what it is.
by kristin
On February 13, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Um…all u who are jumping all over the fact that they’ve been tardy 85 times…that’s 85too times between 3 children so really its been 20 something times not the whole school year…not saying that’s okay but it doesn’t say 85 times each!! And most of them prob occurred by the kids walking themselves to school..prob goofing off ..maybe the youngest goofing off and the older two trying to get them to cooperate..either way once again people jumping to judge somebody! And it is a bit ridiculous to go to court over 20the tardies (that’s per kid. Suspend the kids..make them come earlier..whatever..but pressing charges. BS