Reasons for Curfew Laws

Many teens and younger children can be seen late at night on the streets and hanging out in parking lots. They are out on weekday nights so its assumed that they are going to school in the morning. I used to see students sleeping in the classrooms and now deal with teens who are up all night. They rarely are ready to face the day before noon; so whats going on? Where are the parents and who is watching them?

Its looks like they are on their own for all intents and purposes.   The curfews laws are on the books but children are out past the local ordinances. Each town,village,and city makes up the curfew time for minors and parents may face hefty fines and jail time in some instances.

School districts are seeing rampant truancy with no parental over site. Parent involvement has declined over the last 3 decades, despite the new phenomenon of "hover parents." When I was a classroom teacher, I rarely met some student's parents at all! Have they just given up, or are parents today feeling too overwhelmed?

There are many questions and few viable solutions. Calling Child protective Services (CPS) is a  temporary solution and many times will make  a situation worse. With a record number of children in foster care, social workers are more apt to work with a  family to keep them intact.

That brings us back to the curfew laws. There are some good reasons some teens are out late; an after-school job, sports practices and games, studying at the library are the most popular reasons.
If parents realized how many teens and children were potential
victims of abuse, kidnapping, and drug use, maybe things would change.

Many girls and boys are abused by someone who has befriended them due to an absent parent. Other kids are kidnapped and sold into the human-trafficking world. They are nothing more than money-makers for their pimps that are holding them against their will.

There is also an epidemic of drug use in every corner of the country, whether it is urban or rural. Police departments are overwhelmed with illegal adult drug use as well as minors. In rural locals, the Meth and pill use is preferred due to the low cost and availability of ingredients. In suburban and urban localities, heroin is making its return.

I remember getting a lot of angry comments from teens when I posted my article on hubpages about curfews. I wish they would keep in mind, that adults are not here to punish them and keep them from having fun. There are good reasons for these curfews.