Truant Parents Faced with Jail Time

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - If your children skip school, it could cost you money and mean jail time. That was the message to more than two dozen parents Thursday morning in a Memphis courtroom. When it was all said and done, most of the parents agreed to get help instead of getting hauled off to jail.

Judge Loyce Lambert Ryan had a full docket this morning. A good portion of it was 26 parents of Memphis City School students who were forced to explain their children's repeated absences from middle school. While the excuses ranged from being homeless to staying home sick, any unexcused absences over 5 in one school year are against the law.

Once homeless and emotional, Ranelle Bailey didn't know what to expect Thursday morning when she showed up for court. Bailey was issued a misdemeanor citation summons after her son missed more than 5 days at Vance Middle School, with no excuse.

"He missed days out of school but not from skipping, he just didn't go because he has asthma," Bailey said.

The reasons ran the gamut, but Harold Collins from the District Attorney's office said excuses are not enough. Collins said all parents had advanced notice before having to appear in court.

Collins said, "A letter is sent to every parent, given to every child at the school, saying you must meet with the District Attorney's office at school, at a specific time, and if you don't show up, then you get to this point."

Now, the stakes are higher and so are the consequences. For each count the parents face, they could be forced to serve a minimum of 10 days in jail, and pay a 50 dollar fine. For Bailey, it could mean 100 days behind bars and a 50 dollar fine.

"If your child skips school, then you will be held accountable for that," Collins warned.

An alternative to the punishment is probation for 11 months and 21 days. Bailey and other parents opted for that, which requires parenting programs and a mentoring session for their students.

"We feel a need to be a help to these young men because we don't want to lose them to society," said Pinnacle Airline employee and volunteer, D'arci Deveaux.

Three middle school students saved by the Truancy Reduction Mentoring Program all said it made a vast difference in their lives at school.

"It's been great because [my mentor] James is actually helping me with my math homework, and my math grades were D's and F's, now they are A's and B's," said 8th grader Terry Arnold.

8th grade student Rashad Cowans said, "I'm doing better in school, and being there on time every day."

If the students and parents stick with it, like these young men, the charges are dropped, the slate is cleaned, and students get back on track, and that's the goal of the program.

Collins urged, "We don't want to send parents to jail, we want our kids to go to school."

The District Attorney's office is actually looking for more mentors for these students. The time commitment is only 8 hours a month. If you are interested in changing the life of a child, you can find an online application at the link below.

LINK | Shelby County Mentoring Program