The slayings of four young sisters in Southeast D.C. revealed critical holes in the way the District public education system tracks children who leave schools, experts told The Examiner.

As part of the compulsory attendance law, city officials are required to maintain a census of all minors over the age of 3 residing in D.C., even those not enrolled in schools.

But that job has been neglected for years and was not made a priority in Mayor Adrian Fenty’s takeover of the school system, according to Mary Levy, an education expert for the Washington Lawyers Committee.

“Until last June, it was the responsibility of the Board of Education, but when that board was changed to a state board, [the census] was not formally transferred,” said Levy. “It’s a piece of sloppiness.”

This story continues below
Advertisement

The girls whose bodies were discovered last week — Brittany Jacks, 17, Tatianna Jacks, 11, N’Kiah Fogle, 6, and Aja Fogle, 5 — had been attending public charter schools until last spring when their mother, Banita Jacks, said she’d be homeschooling them.

A social worker at Booker T. Washington Public Charter School, where Brittany was enrolled, has been praised by Fenty for visiting the home and reaching out to social services.

However, neither D.C.’s charter system nor standard public school system requires follow-up with families that drop out of public schools.

The charter system is particularly lax. Tom Nida, chairman of the board that oversees the charter sites, said when it comes to truancy and homeschooling, “there’s no blanket policy” about follow-up.

“They’re choosing to come, and they’re choosing to leave,” he said.

With DCPS, a database lists students leaving to be homeschooled. From there, no checks are made on the progress of their schooling.

It’s an oversight the State Superintendent’s Office has said it will correct when it takes over management of the system later this year.

Virginia and Maryland have laws governing homeschooling.

Maryland requires parents to register with an approved satellite program or submit portfolios proving instruction and progress.

In Virginia parents must prove they have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and to show evidence of their homeschooled child’s academic progress.

Skipping School

- Truants in D.C. charter schools this year: 960

- Truants in DCPS this year: 1,023

dlevitz@dcexaminer.com