TRUANCY FOCUS OF TEEN MEETING.

Byline: Daily News

SAUGUS - Truancy and poor school attendance and how they affect school performance and family life will be the topic Tuesday night at a meeting of the Action parent and teen support program.

Mary Chester, a child welfare and attendance specialist and member of the School Attendance Review Board for the William S. Hart Union High School District, will discuss how poor school attendance can affect students' academic records.

Action will meet at 7 p.m. at Saugus High School, 21900 Centurion Way.

Chester, with 15 years of experience in her field, said poor attendance often is a warning sign of further delinquent behavior. And most parents don't realize poor attendance can evolve into a legal case and become a court issue.

``Many parents feel the dawning of the teenage years and the beginning of junior high is a time that parents should let go and that their teens should be taking care of themselves and tend to let loose of the reins,'' Chester said. ``However, this is the time a parent should be vigilant and more involved with their children's school activities, extracurricular activities and their personal lives.''

Those attending the meeting will learn the warning signs of truancy, learn how to effectively work with their teen's behavior, as well as what kind of support parents can seek from the school district to help with chronic absenteeism. Chester will discuss how parents can set limits and suggest methods of discipline.

``The middle school or the junior high school years are crucial for setting the tone for good school attendance as well as continuing to send the message of how important a good education is. So often parents feel they have no control,'' Chester said. ``They are afraid of setting consequences and limits.

``Failure to set consequences for a teen's actions is one of the most detrimental issues in parenting teens today; it leads to lack of respect for parents as well as frequently creating attendance problems.''

The Action support program allows parents to meet together and offer support while learning practical solutions to problems. A parent with experience raising a teenager leads each group. While parents are meeting, teens attend the Action Teen Group.

These groups are led by certificated and licensed counselors who are experienced in working with young people, said Cary Quashen, founder of the group.

Action emphasizes good behavior during the tough teen years to counteract rebellion; drug and alcohol dependency and abuse; poor communication; low self-esteem; disrespect for authority; lack of motivation; academic problems; and conflicts associated with divorce, death and peer pressure.

For information about Chester's talk on teen truancy or the support group meetings, call the Action hotline at [phone]. Action is a nonprofit program.

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