Bruce Maiman: Truancy bill can't make better parents
Published: Saturday, Jun. 5, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 11A
With little fanfare, the California state Senate passed a bill last month that would criminalize chronic truancy and hold parents responsible.
Senate Bill 1317 picks up where San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris led off. In three years, Harris (currently a candidate for state attorney general) used her office to reduce truancy in the San Francisco Unified School District by 23 percent among elementary school children.
That was good for the students and the district, which saw an additional $372,862 tied to the increased attendance last year alone.
Efforts included better identification of chronic truants, meetings with families (which the district did), and in 30 cases taking parents to court (which the D.A. did). That last part is where SB 1317 comes in. Sponsored by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, the bill would let prosecutors charge parents (or guardians) with misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine if
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/05/2799744/truancy-bill-cant-make-better.html#ixzz0pzL8LOh5