A year’s probation with the possibility of six months in jail
may seem like a harsh penalty for a parent whose children have
missed school. But this particular incident merited stern
punishment and it sent a strong message to other parents in a
county where truancy is a problem.
A year’s probation with the possibility of six months in jail may seem like a harsh penalty for a parent whose children have missed school. But this particular incident merited stern punishment and it sent a strong message to other parents in a county where truancy is a problem.
Students missing class is a serious issue in San Benito County. The Hollister School District has a 7 percent truancy level for its 6,000 students. Overall, county schools lose about 10 percent of their potential revenue – $27 per day per truant child – because of attendance problems. More importantly, truancy robs children of a free education – an essential ingredient to future success.
The district attorney did the right thing earlier this month when he asked a local judge to put a 41-year-old mother of two chronically truant elementary school students on probation. This was not a case of jumping the gun to prove a point. The sentence was justified and it set a strong example.
The Hollister School District has been working with the parents to try to get the two young children in school for a year and a half. During that time, district officials tried to discover why the children weren’t showing up at school. They got several excuses ranging from problems getting up in time for class to transportation issues. But the children lived within walking distance of school and had access to school buses.
“It wasn’t a priority to the family,” the district’s At-Risk Advocate Connie Childers said.
It’s hard to fathom why parents would turn a blind eye to their children’s education, but it’s obviously happens. There may be reasons beyond neglectful parenting that cause truancy so the judge should do even more to cure the problem.
He should send the parents to school.
These parents, and others who get into similar trouble, should be required to attend parenting classes where they will learn the value and necessity of a proper education for their children.
It’s unfortunate when the government has to step in to provide the discipline when parents fail. But what’s important here is the welfare of the children.
It was the right thing to do to put the mom on probation and to put the other parents on notice.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, The Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or e-mail to
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