Beth Macy

curled my toes and one day I was I would try to do a ride along with her almost every trip if she was available but one day she said oh we're gonna go to a doozy and so she takes me to this gorgeous farmhouse surrounded by soybean fields way out in the country and

And she says, this is the family.

We have been trying to charge them with truancy charges for years now.

They won't even fill out the paperwork to homeschool.

They just tell us they're homeschooling.

And, you know, dogs had attacked her.

We get there.

She has to leave home.

a notice saying she's been there but we have to call the cops to come out because there's a big sign right outside their gate that says if it's a bullseye and it says if you can read this you're in shooting range so they were basically what was called a term i didn't know at the time sovereign citizens they don't believe in government they don't you know they they ride on our roads but they don't believe in paying taxes or sending their kids to school

And another time I was out with her taking a young girl who was being raised by her grandparents, which is also not uncommon, largely thanks to the opioid crisis and fentanyl and methamphetamine.

We were taking her to school.

And then it turns out a couple weeks later, the girl turned on Brooke and beat her up.

And, you know, this woman, I wasn't there for that, but I talked to her right after and I followed up.

And just like she was working so hard to help these kids.

She would like if they would have a good week of attendance, she would figure out what it what it was they really wanted.

One wanted to go to Comic-Con conference in Washington.

Columbus.

So Brooke takes the girl as a reward for going to school on her own dime.

And we know because I've done the research that it is these relationships that really make the difference.

It's not standardized testing.