Washington, D.C. should ideally represent the best of American life, especially for its younger generation. Unfortunately, the public school system is struggling to keep students engaged, and, in some cases, this has serious consequences.
Interestingly, The Washington Post conducted some reporting that sheds light on the increasing lawlessness in D.C. Around 16,000 students in D.C. Public Schools (DCPS)—which is about a third of its K-12 enrollment—were truant last year, meaning they missed at least two weeks of classes without valid excuses.
The investigation revealed that Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council let over 18,000 truancy violations slide without investigation over the past three years. Moreover, DCPS saw a staggering 110 percent increase in students skipping class during the 2023-2024 school year.
Cory Chapman, a math and special education teacher at MacFarland Middle School, shared, “We’re just basically reporting into a vacuum. We saw something, we said something.”
The data indicated that the bulk of truant students were from middle school. Specifically, at Chapman’s school, about 40 percent of roughly 570 students had truancy issues last year. Notably, the rise in school absences coincided with a spike in serious crimes, such as carjackings, occurring in D.C. throughout 2023. Some of these instances tragically resulted in fatalities linked to youth engaging in criminal activities.
A resident in Brookland recalled witnessing Karon Blake, 13, and his friends breaking into cars when Blake was fatally shot. In another instance, 14-year-old Avion Evans was killed during a confrontation at the Brookland-CUA Metro station. The case of 8-year-old Relisha Rudd, missing since 2014 from a homeless shelter, serves as a grim reminder; it took six days for the Child Welfare Agency to act on her truancy case. Similarly, 14-year-old Irving LaBoard, who was absent for half of the school year, was shot and killed in Fort Dupont Park.
These incidents underline the consequences of unchecked political control. Democrats currently govern the city council, school boards, child welfare agencies, police departments, and the justice system, yet we are expected to accept that this is just part of living in a large city.
However, there’s no need to accept this situation as inevitable. Our children merit better outcomes. The Washington Post investigated the decline in after-school programs, which correlates with an uptick in truancy rates, highlighting the funding cuts these programs faced during those years. If expanding after-school programs could help keep kids engaged, why is the city council reallocating funds away from them? Likely to support excessive administrative costs and ideological initiatives.
While after-school programs can effectively deter youth crime, improving safety in their communities seems an overlooked solution. Addressing crime might conflict with some progressive views on law enforcement, but it’s essential for child welfare.
Ultimately, it seems Bowser and the other Democratic leaders in D.C. have failed to protect and support the younger population.
