A rotating panel of experts from the...

A rotating panel of experts from the worlds of philosophy, psychology and religion offer their perspective on the dilemmas that come with living in Southern California.

Studies show that high school truancy is a serious problem at Los Angeles schools. Starting next week, Los Angeles police will be able to ticket truant students who may face fines and/or community service. Aside from the obligations of teen - agers themselves, do parents bear primary responsibility for keeping youths in classes? More so than do educators, police, school neighbors and merchants?

*

Shabbir Mansuri, Founding director of the Council on Islamic Education, based in Fountain Valley.

“As an educator and a parent, I believe the primary responsibility for keeping children in school lies directly with the parents, more so than educators, police, school neighbors and merchants. Children, according to Muslim belief, are an amana (trust) given by God and therefore must be nurtured, protected and guided. Parents should become partners with their children and schools to create an environment where education and learning are valued and cherished.”

*

Karen Baker-Fletcher, Associate professor of theology and culture, the School of Theology at Claremont.

“Parenting and keeping kids in school are communal responsibilities. No one should parent alone. The African proverb, ‘It takes a whole village to raise a child,’ which I first heard 10 years ago among black clergy and scholars, is on my daughter’s school calendar. It has become a popular and appropriate truism, because it moves people out of individualism. It means we are all family and responsible for the children in our midst. It is destructive for educators, police, schools, neighbors and merchants to deny this responsibility because it breaks down America’s larger sense of family.”

*

The Rev. Ignacio Castuera, Pastor of Hollywood United Methodist Church.

“ ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ goes an old adage. Parents alone cannot account for all the care and discipline needed by children. In an age and society where both parents must work to make ends meet, one must question the whole system and hold it accountable for the care of its most vulnerable members. Religious and ethical sensitivities demand that we all question systems and ideologies--not just individuals and families.”

Compiled by JOHN DART/Times staff writer