Letters To Be Sent To Parents By School Officials
posted August 27, 2008
Parents of Hamilton County School students who are truants could face jail time, County School Board member Rhonda Thurman said.
"This is a law that has been on the books since 1947 and we are going to start enforcing it," Ms. Thurman said.
She said letters will be sent out to county school parents telling them if their children miss school five or more days without excused absences that the parents could face prosecution.
Ms. Thurman said, "We in Hamilton County have always handled this in Juvenile Court, but the parents can be held responsible there. I'm amazed that we have never had a case of truancy brought to Sessions Court against the parents."
Four local judges appeared Tuesday night at a county school board discipline committee meeting chaired by Ms. Thurman.
General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon said last year over 50 percent of county school students missed enough days to be declared truant. He said, "That is not acceptable."
He said enforcement of the truancy law against parents in Marion County the next day led to a record student attendance.
Also at the meeting were General Sessions Court Judge David Bales, City Court Judge Sherry Paty and Red Bank Judge Johnny Houston.
Ms. Thurman said officials will have to take some factors into consideration - including the fact that students sometimes skip out on school after their parents drop them off.
And she said it is difficult to find some parents - including those who already have active warrants against them.
She said some parents apparently choose not to send their children to school until after Labor Day.
The judges said they were invited to the board meeting to explain the judicial procedures necessary to begin the enforcement of the truancy law.
Judge Moon said, "Our focus is not to put parents in jail who fail their children's education even though some parents may eventually wind up incarcerated. Our primary focus is to get kids in school where they should be and need to be. All of us (judges) can attest to you that far too many kids are leaving the classroom and coming to the courtroom."
Supt. Jim Scales said, "This is the kind of conversation that we need. We will follow through."
Chris Albright, executive director of Juvenile Court, said that court had not taken action against any parents for truancy.
Rick Smith, associate superintendent, said the absentee numbers are already high this early in the school year.
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