But if the district is essentially giving a pass to students who do not do their homework because of complicated family lives, it is going riskily close to the implication that standards need to be lowered for poor children.
For example, Sarah asked her kids to stop playing and do their homework, but her request seemed to fall on deaf ears as they continued playing on their phones.
You could say, " You know, that kid is really mixed up about his priorities. He thinks it's cool to stay out late and party, but really, he should be doing homework."