California Mom Jailed for Her Children's Truancy

[Vampirate Kitsune]

Quote:

California mom jailed for 180 days over children's chronic truancy setting example as one of the firsts in the state

A California mother has been jailed for 180 days after her two children missed more than 10 per cent of last year's school year, setting an example as one of the firsts by a new state law.

Lorraine Cuevas, 34, was arrested after school officials said her second and third grader at Monroe Elementary School in Hanford together missed 116 days of school.

The school board says the mother had plenty of warning of the new state law combating chronic truancy with a number of phone calls and letters sent to her home that they said went ignored.

'It's a process that takes months to get to this point. On average we're making 15-20 calls in dealing with these issues,' Superintendent Tim Bowers of Kings County Schools told KMPH.

Pleading guilty to her crime, Cuevas is one of the first to be convicted under the state's law and the second to be jailed in the county this year.

County officials say there are many others currently at risk of the new law

Part of mixed reaction to the punishment, Melissa Mooney said she had received a letter of warning herself after one of her children missed two weeks while sick. Her child returned with a doctor’s note, she said.

'Put her on the freeway or something, clean up the mess or something but who's going to watch her kids if she's in jail?' Ms Mooney expressed her upset of the punishment to KMPH.

'I would've given her a year. Honesty, I think that punishment is not enough because a kid's education is really important,' Adriana Casteneda, another mother told the station.

Since her arrest two months ago, Cuevas has served roughly a quarter of her sentence that comes with a $2,000 fine.

School officials say Cuevas' kids have had good attendance this school year.

source

[Ratttking]

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who's going to watch her kids if she's in jail?

Obviously someone who is more capable of seeing they get to school:

Quote:

School officials say Cuevas' kids have had good attendance this school year.

EDIT: I clicked on the link. How freaking high was this woman when she posed for the pic shown in the article?

[kakteed]

YES.

[Lilac Wood]

Damn that's a lot of absence.

[True Sefirosu]

The school is only mad because they are loosing money every time the student misses school. They is why some districts place value in perfect attendance holders/classes.

I have a cousin who misses school way more than 10% of the school year. 2-3 times a week to be exact because his mom can't go or is too sick to take his lazy butt when they live 2 blocks from the school.

[David2074]

So roughly 60 days missed per kid. Whoa.
When kids miss that much school unless they have a major medical situation it is all about the mom being too busy to see them off to school. Like sleeping in after parties or .. well, don't know what she is doing but it seems to be about her and not the kids. Plus of course 2nd and 3rd graders are typically not skipping on their own they way a HS kid might.

[MinnieMay]

put the kid in jail as well.

[xdivision_whitey]

One of the Daycare mom I had to work with had to take her kid with a 103°F temp to the school just to be allowed to keep him home. He was just sickly that year and already missed to much school.