Children found living in filth missed 51 days of school

Action News Jax is working to figure out how two students found living a filthy Westside home were able to miss nearly a third of the school year.

We first told you about the children being removed from their home last Friday.

Since then, we've been working to get their school records and we obtained them on Thursday.

The reports from the children's school show they missed 30 percent of their school days. We learned that district policies were followed, but still the absences kept happening day after day.

The two elementary school children missed 51 days in all this year.

"A third of the school year they missed," said Evelyn Kirkland, who is now taking care of the children.

The children were removed this home last week. James Kirkland and Angela Carroll were arrested for child neglect.

On Monday. Action News Jax asked Duval County Public Schools about the children missing so many days of school. We were told, “without getting into the specifics of the case, attendance policies and procedures as outlined in the Duval County School Board manual were followed.”

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The policy says:

"If a student has at least five unexcused absences, or absences for which the reasons are unknown, within a calendar month or 10 unexcused absences, or absences for which the reasons are unknown, within a 90-calendar day period, the student’s primary teacher shall report the student’s attendance to the principal. The principal shall, unless there is clear evidence that the absences are not a pattern of non-attendance, refer the case to the school level Attendance Intervention Team (AIT). The AIT will schedule a meeting with the parents or legal guardian and a representative of the district attendance office. If appropriate, a contract will be developed and signed by the participating parties. If the contract is violated, the case may be referred to the State Attorney’s Office."

"The policies they have in place were followed. Well if the policy was followed then the end result is the policy doesn’t work because the kids never got in school,” Evelyn Kirkland said.

Kirkland now has more questions than answers.

“So who’s been paying attention to this? And is this what they call slipping through the cracks? I don’t know," Evelyn Kirkland said.

Evelyn Kirkland tells Action News Jax James Kirkland and Angela Carroll failed the children.

“Parents not getting up in the morning and getting their kids ready for school,” Evelyn Kirkland said.

She believes the district or other agencies followed their policies but maybe more needs to be done in the future.

“The policy should change or someone needs to enforce the policy,” Kirkland said.

We have reached out to the school district about their truancy officer program as well as the State Attorney's Office regarding their part in this case.

Cox Media Group