Girl jailed for skipping school; Mother completely upset about it

[smkelly13]

All she did was skip school. That isn't a jail offense.

This country, and especially Texas has better things to worry themselves silly over in place of truancy.

[RTR]

So an 18 year old girl gets jail time for skipping school?

If I was the parent you better believe I would have a say about that. As a matter of fact if she was smart she would hire herself a lawyer asap and sue the cheeit out of the whole state.

Since when is it legal to incarcerate someone without due process?

Not to mention that at 18 she would legally be an adult and not bound by truancy laws.

Unfreaking believable.

Glad I'm Canadian!

RTR

[Belial]

Truancy is in fact illegal, children to have a duty to follow reasonable requests from their parents also.  Do I think that they put her in jail for being truant?  No way they would have had an adjudication hearing to decide whether she is tried in adult or minor court.

[Stoney]

Since when is it legal to incarcerate someone without due process?

A hearing/trial in front of a judge is "due process".  She broke a law and was penalized.  If the law needs to be changed, then change it.  Otherwise, enforce it as written.  Unenforced laws breed contempt for the law itself.

[Motherland]

Actually I think the parent (s) should be put in jail as well, and no longer have the right to breed(well... ). The American education system is bad enough as it is, the last thing you need is people fighting for the right for kids to skip school.

[AWwrgwy]

This country, and especially Texas has better things to worry themselves silly over in place of truancy.

Yes.  We don't have enough uneducated slackers as it is.

So an 18 year old girl gets jail time for skipping school?

If I was the parent you better believe I would have a say about that. As a matter of fact if she was smart she would hire herself a lawyer asap and sue the cheeit out of the whole state.

Since when is it legal to incarcerate someone without due process?

RTR

I don't know how it is in Canada, but here in the United States going before a Judge in Court is considered "Due Process"

due process: (law) the administration of justice according to established rules and principles; based on the principle that a person cannot be deprived of life or liberty or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguards


Quote from the mother:

"I know she missed school," Miller said, "but it's like the days she did miss it's like, it's not the credits that she needs. She already has enough credits to graduate."

"I'm not saying she shouldn't have a punishment," Miller said.  "She's a good child, and I just feel like it's ridiculous -- the punishment.  I cried when they told me she was going to Mansfield."

I guess the mother had her chance to punish her daughter but missed the opportunity at the time and a judge had to do it for her.

It is not the State's responsibility to raise children.  Mom should be in jail with her daughter.  If the daughter was a bit younger or, if this had been caught earlier (I'm sure this isn't an ongoing problem ), the mother probably would be in jail.

It's not like the girl was dealing drugs (yet).

wrongway

[smkelly13]

Truancy is in fact illegal, children to have a duty to follow reasonable requests from their parents also.  Do I think that they put her in jail for being truant?  No way they would have had an adjudication hearing to decide whether she is tried in adult or minor court.

She's 18.  Not a child.

[texasmom]

She's 18.  Not a child.

Sounds like the perfect time for her to take ownership of her actions.

[VansCrew1]

That's retarded. I go to school up in NY and you can miss only 28 days i think it is. But ive got a friend that missed over 50 last year and probably close to 50 this year. But he's still going to graduate. I go to a privet school lol we basically pay to guarantee a graduation.

[Motherland]

That's retarded. I go to school up in NY and you can miss only 28 days i think it is. But ive got a friend that missed over 50 last year and probably close to 50 this year. But he's still going to graduate. I go to a privet school lol we basically pay to guarantee a graduation.

There's a big difference between absences and unexcused absences. I think the absence limit in PA is somewhere around 28 as well. I have 10 so far.

[VansCrew1]

There's a big difference between absences and unexcused absences. I think the absence limit in PA is somewhere around 28 as well. I have 10 so far.

Ya same, if we dont have a note it's considered unexcused. And well he just show's up when ever.

[FYB]

God, of all the stupidities I've heard, this one, certainly beats many. She skipped school, and even though she has almost a 3.00 GPA, you still put her in Jail, shes still going to graduate and go to college? Sometimes, even the wise are prone or bound to start something as stupid as putting her in Jail.

-FYB

[Motherland]

God, of all the stupidities I've heard, this one, certainly beats many. She skipped school, and even though she has almost a 3.00 GPA, you still put her in Jail, shes still going to graduate and go to college? Sometimes, even the wise are prone or bound to start something as stupid as putting her in Jail.

-FYB

She skipped 18 days of school. That's over half of a month. They start getting suspicious at that point even if you have excuses (I'm not allowed to have parent excuses anymore with ten days absent).
And no one said she's going to college, she's only applied.

[FYB]

She skipped 18 days of school. That's over half of a month. They start getting suspicious at that point even if you have excuses (I'm not allowed to have parent excuses anymore with ten days absent).

If she was doing SOMETHING, she wouldn't of had a 2.89 GPA, even though i consider that a bit low.

-FYB

[Motherland]

2.89 is in the 83-4% range. Where I go to school, which really a low-scoring school (it's the crappy highschool in one of the lower scoring school districts in my area) that would put you in the bottom half, maybe even third of the class.