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***.......national statistics of school crime, say experts, seem to indicate that more schools should qualify for the classification. In 2000, 72 of every 1,000 students ages 12 through 18 reported being victims of crimes at school. The average far exceeds most states' requirements for a dangerous school.

At the heart of the discrepancy may well be a reluctance on the part of educators to report campus crime fully. A survey by the National Association of School Resource Officers found that 89 percent of school police believe crime is already underreported. "It's the scarlet letter in education today," says Mr. Trump. "Administrators have said to me privately that they would rather be academically failing than be a dangerous school." ....*** http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/967058/posts

"It almost seems they're harsher on truants than they are on those who are disruptive."

In some places, probably, in others probably not. In my area, it's those who are disruptive that are punished harsher than those who are truant. I do think that some punishments can be too harsh. I'm not in favor of "parenting classes" at all. There should be something to address personal responsibility for the student though. It is probably best handled by the parents themselves in most situations (I do believe, at least in my area, that that would be the case) or an agreed upon punishment between the school, parents, and kid.