A classroom situation I had was a freshman student who absolutely refused to do anything he did not want to do. The frustrating part was not that he would not participate but that his teachers allowed it to happen because it was better that he was at school than at his home. It was frustrating because (1) the student was not learning and (2) the student obviously had a horrible homelife. What can I do?
School is where you do work, that's the bottom line.
This would work, but the post said something about a horrible home life. I can only imagine that if the student shows the teacher the kind of disrespect required to leave assignments uncompleted, there is no respect at home either. In case the parents do not agree to show up at the meeting, have the meeting with the administration and the student. Make copies of all documents and agreements made between the administration and the student to send home.