Time Out: Federal Complaint Alleges Rampant Abuse in Texas Truancy Program - ProPublica
June 12, 2013: This story has been updated with Judge Clay Jenkins’s comment and full statement, as well as the Mesquite school district statement on its website.
School tardiness and absences come at a high cost in Dallas, Texas. Gone are the days of detention and writing lines on the chalkboard; now students are fined, even jailed.
The enforcement of the state’s truancy laws, which were strengthened substantially in 2003, have led to a range of abuses, according to a complaint filed Wednesday with the U.S. Department of Justice:
Students have been taken out of school in handcuffs, held in jail for days at a time, and fines have totaled more than $1,000 for students who miss more than 10 days of school.
More: Time Out: Federal Complaint Alleges Rampant Abuse in Texas Truancy Program - ProPublica