Is "school refusing" just truancy?

[Taro Toporific]

Truancy a symptom of depression, Japan 10/12/2004 7:25:00 PM / Onlypunjab.com Correspondent
Specialists have discovered that depression may be an important factor in truancy.
In the past, truancy was referred to as a phobia of school or boycotting of classes, but from the 1990s, it was simply said that students just did not want to go to school. The change in terminology demonstrates a change in views on what causes truancy.
Truants were generally thought to be children who were suffering from emotional problems. But now, the consensus holds that all children--regardless of their upbringing or personal problems--are tempted to skip school. Such a view demonstrates the laxity with which society has come to view truancy.
Ryuji Kodama, the 56-year-old director of Nagashida no Mori Shinryo Clinic, presented research data on the subject at a conference of the Japan Association for School Mental Health. ...more...

[kurohinge1]

... the consensus holds that all children--regardless of their upbringing or personal problems--are tempted to skip school ...

But their schoolbags must attend

A group of fourth graders show off a small, gray plastic tag tucked inside their backpacks at the Rikkyo Elementary School in Tokyo. Developed by Japanese semiconductor and computer maker Fujitsu Ltd., the tags beam a message to a computer in a nearby office. And the computer logs the time they enter and leave.

Moments later, their parents receive confirmation by e-mail ...

See also:

Big Mother is Watching You
Big Brother is watching you

For a small weekly fee, I and my minions will offer a service where we swipe the kiddies' tags in and out of the school scanners at the times of their choosing, while they remain at large, in game centres, karaoke, etc.

I will be ... SWIPEMAN


And my assistants will be SWIPEGIRLS


Mmmm, I think I need to go and swipe something ...

[Unspoken]

I guess then that the world is filled with clinically depressed kids, huh?