Catch-22, Education version

I grew up believing my parents when they told me that if I didn't get passing grades I would be held back in the same grade for the next year. I even believed the cafeteria lady who showed me two mice she held captive in a large jar and told me that they were former students who hadn't eaten their lunch. My entire upbringing reinforced the idea that every action, or non-action had a definitive consequence. When I sat in a meeting as a new teacher in which we asked parents to sign a form forbiddingly entitled "Retention Conference" I beleived wholeheartedly that if the student did not accomplish the stated requirements that he would indeed be retained the following year.
In the last few years I noticed that there were several students who did not make the requirements for promotion but did not reappear in the same grade the following year. The administration explained social promotion to me. Why keep a child for another year when studies showed that a very low percentage of those children retained would do any better when repeating a grade. In fact, the social stigma of repeating would probably cause the child to become a discipline problem anyway. Well, that makes sense I thought.
Then I met Brian on the first day of a new year. Brian had a dysfunctional family and very little interaction with his father and step-mother. They seemed to be either afraid of his tempers or disinterested in Brian in general. I saw Brian on several occasions at the local mall just wandering for hours all alone. He used a set of back stairs at home to go down to the kitchen for meals but did not share meals with his parents. On the first day of 8th grade I found Brian slouched in his desk staring out at the room of students working on an assignment. After some attempt to get him started on his work he told me in no uncertain terms that he had done nothing in 7th grade and had been placed in 8th grade so he did not plan on doing anything in 8th grade either. He fully expected to be placed in 9th grade. I was sure he was wrong. As I watched him deliberately fail every class I was positive he would regret his choices when he found himself back in 8th grade again. Well, I was wrong, and Brian was right. The following year he was placed in 9th grade.
It has only gotten worse each year. Last year there were several "Brians" who seemed to be determined to do as little as possible. I went to every "Retention conference" (I have often protested the title and asked for it to be changed) and SST (Student Support Team) meeting. I offered extra credit, retaking tests and other methods for pulling a student up to passing, still a few failed 3 or more classes. After hearing politicians firmly state that social promotions are no longer allowed I find it ironic that I see it happen every year. And it's not that I'm out to punish those students who do no work. I am sure that this whole scenario is not lost on the other students who are very aware that a student has failing grades.
Bottom line, I think I'll opt out of a few meetings this year. I'll just do like some of my other colleagues do, give the student a 70 to pass and save my sanity.