Texas, the second-most-populous state in the country, writes up more than twice the truancy cases in all other states combined.
And unlike almost every other state, Texas handles the vast majority of its truancy cases as class C misdemeanors in adult criminal court. Convictions can lead to a maximum fine of $500 and become part of a permanent, public adult criminal record.
“The theory is that the threat of punishment will incentivize attendance,” Nathan Hecht, chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, wrote in February. “But when almost 100,000 criminal truancy charges are brought each year against Texas schoolchildren, one has to think, this approach may not be working.”
[For more of this story go to http://www.dallasnews.com/opin...nalizing-truancy.ece]
Comments (0)