The truancy division of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office received 1,747 referrals last year from parish schools about students with too many unexcused absences.
With the new school year approaching, officials tell The News-Star truancy awareness will be critical to keep kids in the classroom.
"We have too many parents who have an attitude that school is not important, and that's something I think that needs to change," said 4th Judicial District Judge Sharon Marchman, who presides over truancy cases in Ouachita and Morehouse parishes. "I think it's a big problem."
Sgt. Earl Henry said truancy is when a child enrolled in the school system has five unexcused absences within a semester. The law goes into effect at age 7 and lasts until a child turns 18.
Henry said the school will notify the truancy division of OPSO if a student has four unexcused absences so deputies can try and contact the student and family avoid potentially committing truancy.
"Once we're contacted, we investigate it and we do everything we can to get the kid back in school without going through any type of court process," he said. "If they refuse to cooperate or if the truancy continues, based on the child's age or the circumstance, we'll either issue a citation to a parent, which invokes a fine, or we'll write a summons for court."
In most cases of truancy, the parents are to blame, Henry said.
"Every case I've dealt with has been the parent's fault - whether it's a single parent working multiple jobs with multiple kids, parents having younger kids and asking high school age kids to stay home and babysit so they can work, or parents who just don't care," he said.
Of the 1,747 truancy referrals from 36 Ouachita Parish schools made last year, 32 summons were issued, 23 citations were issued and 81 cases were referred to Families in Need of Services.
↧
Ouachita Parish officials looking to curb truancy
↧