Honor student thrown in jail and fined

[Jack21222]

This story makes me angrier than anything I've read in quite a long time. Here are 3 links to stories about it:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ailed-truancy--Works-jobs-support-family.html

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/18626605/texas-honors-student-jailed-for-excessive-truancy

http://www.khou.com/news/local/People-across-the-country-offer-help-to-honor-student-jailed-for-truancy-154235505.html

Basically, a 17 year old honors student who works two jobs to support her siblings after their parents divorced. But, such a crazy schedule sometimes leaves her too exhausted to attend school. So what does the judge do? Throw her in jail for a night and fine her $100.

Why would he do this? In the judges own words:

If you let one run loose, what are you gonna' do with the rest of 'em? Let them go too?

The judge wanted to make an example of her, but a lot of people think that he should have been more lenient. I certainly think he should have recognized that this is a special case and thrown the case out.

I really hope that publicity from this story ends up helping her with college admissions rather than hinder her. If she's even half as good as the stories make her out to be, college recruiters should be fighting over the chance to get her.

 

[rootX]

I feel like we have insufficient details about her parents:

Since her parents divorced and left her and her two siblings, she has been the sole breadwinner and works two jobs to keep the family afloat.

Can parents really dump their children under 18 to fend for themselves? I find this more troubling than the girl's truancy case.

 

[Whovian]

If you let one run loose, what are you gonna' do with the rest of 'em? Let them go too?

That's why we have judges so they can judge on whether the accused deserves to have any punishment, because not everyone's case is the same. So here's what you're going to do with the rest of them. Judge them, too. And use common sense.

I agree, Jack21222. Rrgh.

Beaten by rootX.

Can parents really dump their children under 18 to fend for themselves? I find this more troubling than the girl's truancy case.

Also troubling.

 

[Monique]

Unbelievable, miss some days in school and end up with a criminal record because of that? How has that ever helped anyone?

 

[ThomasT]

This story makes me angrier than anything I've read in quite a long time.

[ ... ]

The judge wanted to make an example of her, but a lot of people think that he should have been more lenient. I certainly think he should have recognized that this is a special case and thrown the case out.

I really hope that publicity from this story ends up helping her with college admissions rather than hinder her. If she's even half as good as the stories make her out to be, college recruiters should be fighting over the chance to get her.

I agree that, from what I read, this seems absurd ... and the judge is a twit.

Anyway, since when do kids get thrown in jail and fined for missing school? Expelled or suspended from school -- but jail time ... fines? This makes no sense to me. I'm pretty sure that there were no such laws where I grew up.

 

[micromass]

Disgusting.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Apparently this is a judge who lacks judgement.

 

[Illuminerdi]

I heard about this case the other day, and it's really tough to have a defined opinion on it, other than pity for her situation and disgust for her parents. The question as to whether or not it's the right legal decision is a different question, though.

You can choose to uphold the law (I don't think laws are intended to be relativistic, but it's tough to say at which point a relativistic interpretation begins [i.e., murder for self defense is legal, but murder of a bad person is not]), but you risk public outage, or you choose not to uphold the law, in which case you risk setting a legal precedent that says minors don't have to attend school 100% of the time, as long as they're working, which creates the problem of keeping a registry of minors' workplaces, which then makes you think "Hey, wait a minute, I know some kids who graduated high school at 16, and they didn't have to be entered on some registry" at which point your head explodes because the world is a complex place that you can't possibly have enough energy to comprehend.

I definitely believe, though, that, due to this getting media attention, she will be receiving some checks in the mail from sympathetic people.

 

[ThomasT]

Apparently this is a judge who lacks judgement.

Yeah, I've known a few judges who, imho, would have been more appropriately placed as, say, KMart or WalMart greeters.

 

[cepheid]

Some details of this case make no sense. The first story says that Tran's parents divorced, "out of the blue, leaving the kids to fend for themselves."

Huh? Since when does divorce = kids fend for themselves?

Why wasn't there a custody hearing. Why isn't at least one parent still in charge, if not both (edit: or a relative or a foster parent if the parents were unfit)? How can a 17-year old and her younger siblings not have any legal guardian? They're minors.

Edit: I see now that the parents actually abandoned her. Seems like they're the ones who should be in jail.

Furthermore, although the article establishes that after multiple absences from school, it becomes a matter of the courts to deal with, I don't agree with this law. It seems to me that after one or two absences, it would be far more productive for the principal to sit down with the parents/legal guardian, and try to discuss how to correct the child's behavior. I totally understand that one can have deadbeat parents who just don't care, but even so, I just don't see what taking it to criminal court accomplishes.

I don't know what you do when there supposedly aren't any parents/guardians. (again: what?)

 

[leroyjenkens]

That makes no sense. They put her in jail for missing school, even though she's doing great in school? Why does attendance matter if you're acing the curriculum?

And how are the parents allowed to just leave them alone? Shouldn't they be the ones in jail?

Judges have too much power. They do whatever they want and don't have to answer to anyone.

 

[cepheid]

Okay so the younger sibling *does* live with relatives. If so, why doesn't the 17-year old as well? Why don't the relatives support her, instead of her supporting her sister and apparently her older brother in college (who should be supporting himself!)?

It still doesn't quite make sense. The burden placed on her seems unnecessary.

 

[rootX]

Okay so the younger sibling *does* live with relatives. If so, why doesn't the 17-year old as well? Why don't the relatives support her, instead of her supporting her sister and apparently her older brother in college (who should be supporting himself!)?

It still doesn't quite make sense. The burden placed on her seems unnecessary.

Yes, the story presented in the news articles is incomplete. That's why I also refrained from commenting on the judge decision.

 

[leroyjenkens]

Yes, the story presented in the news articles is incomplete. That's why I also refrained from commenting on the judge decision.

I don't know, it doesn't seem like any excluded information could justify that decision.

 

[ThomasT]

I don't know, it doesn't seem like any excluded information could justify that decision.

I agree. Apparently she was put in jail and fined for missing school. Who would make such a law? Oh yeah, Texas legislators. The same people, or their ilk, who championed the idea of putting people in prison for decades for possessing a marijuana joint.

 

[Jack21222]

Yes, the story presented in the news articles is incomplete. That's why I also refrained from commenting on the judge decision.

If there was something not in the article about why she deserved to be punished, shouldn't the judge have stated those reasons, rather than saying what he said? It's up to the judges discretion to issue a punishment. How about a $1 fine, if he's insistent he must punish her?

It seems like she has just fallen through the cracks in society, and instead of stepping into help, like you'd expect a government to do, they just kicked her while she's down.

 

[rootX]

I don't know, it doesn't seem like any excluded information could justify that decision.

It might be possible to defend the judge based on the complete information. This is not the first and last time, media tried to produce a bias-incomplete story.

Personally, I don't want to see a minor doing two shifts and missing schools. If it is proven that she has no choice but to do work then US is facing far bigger problem which the OP articles didn't even touch on. She might not even get into any college if she is not stopped from doing too much work.

It seems like she has just fallen through the cracks in society, and instead of stepping into help, like you'd expect a government to do, they just kicked her while she's down.

There appears to be no evidence of her fallen through the cracks in society.

 

[Lord_Sidious]

There appears to be no evidence of her fallen through the cracks in society.

She was left to fend for herself and sister by her parents.

 

[Jack21222]

There appears to be no evidence of her fallen through the cracks in society.

Are you trolling me? What do you call it when a 17 year old and her younger sister are abandoned by their parents and has to work two jobs in addition to go to school to support them?

If that's not one hell of a crack, I don't know what is.

 

[rootX]

Are you trolling me? What do you call it when a 17 year old and her younger sister are abandoned by their parents and has to work two jobs in addition to go to school to support them?

If that's not one hell of a crack, I don't know what is.

See the cepheid's post # 12.

 

[Jack21222]

See the cepheid's post # 12.

That post has nothing to do with my post.

 

[ThomasT]

No matter how anybody might want to spin this, the facts are that a high school student was fined and put in jail for missing school. Excuse me, but wtf. Who does that? Who puts kids in jail because they skipped school? Well, apparently Texas does. I can only say thank god that Rick Perry is out of the presidential race. What on Earth were Texas legislators thinking when they passed this law? For that matter, were they even thinking? And then there's the judge. What was he thinking (if he was, in fact, thinking)?

Only in America, eh?

 

[leroyjenkens]

It might be possible to defend the judge based on the complete information. This is not the first and last time, media tried to produce a bias-incomplete story.

You're right on the money with that one. Just look at the Trayvon Martin case.

Personally, I don't want to see a minor doing two shifts and missing schools. If it is proven that she has no choice but to do work then US is facing far bigger problem which the OP articles didn't even touch on. She might not even get into any college if she is not stopped from doing too much work.

Yeah, you're right. The media failed us again. How about some more thorough investigation? Why is she in that situation to begin with?

 

[edward]

This goes much deeper than it appears. In Texas either truants, or their parents may be fined. Many judges in Texas have been using a private company, AIM TRUANT SOLUTIONS to enforce GPS tracking on truants.

http://www.aimtruancy.com/tag/gps/

Hello Mr Orwell.

I do see a problem with using a for profit company to enforce a state law.

 

[Hurkyl]

This story makes me angrier than anything I've read in quite a long time. Here are 3 links to stories about it:

That's why media likes sob stories. It gets people all charged up, which makes for good entertainment. It helps that when people get all emotional, they fail to think critically.

I react badly to such manipulation. When I loaded the CBS article and saw the preview image for the video, I was instantly put into the frame of mind to severely mistrust that the article is a fair representation of the facts.

 

[cepheid]

Are you trolling me? What do you call it when a 17 year old and her younger sister are abandoned by their parents and has to work two jobs in addition to go to school to support them?

If that's not one hell of a crack, I don't know what is.

See the cepheid's post # 12.

RootX, I wasn't trying to say with that post that the girl was not having to support her younger sister. The article clearly stated that the girl was having to support her younger sister, *in spite* of the fact that said younger sister was living with relatives. All I was trying to say was, "hmm, that doesn't make too much sense. If the younger sister is living with relatives, why don't the relatives look after her, instead of the older sister having to work two jobs to support her, as clearly stated in the article? It seems like this older sister is shouldering an unnecessary burden that her adult relatives should be doing."

I agree with the OP completely, that the situation that this girl, at age 17, finds herself in, is unacceptable. She shouldn't have to take on the responsibility of working two jobs to support two other human beings while also simultaneously attempting to get an education.

 

[rootX]

All I was trying to say was, "hmm, that doesn't make too much sense. If the younger sister is living with relatives, why don't the relatives look after her, instead of the older sister having to work two jobs to support her, as clearly stated in the article? It seems like this older sister is shouldering an unnecessary burden that her adult relatives should be doing."

I didn't want to get into details I am not interested in. OP is being bit too emotional about this and it's not worth arguing too much. That's why I referred to your post only to point out that they appear to be living with relatives and are not by themselves.

The articles are of so poor quality that you don't even know:
How parents divorced and left the children for themselves? Is it even legal that parents can abandon their children out of blue? With whom the girl and her sister are living? Who is the legal guardian of the children right now? How well the relatives are supporting the children? How reliable are the details presented in the article?

The article clearly stated that the girl was having to support her younger sister

I doubt this is the complete truth.

 

[Kushwoho44]

I'm a bit confused, not American.

How is not attending school a crime 0.0

 

[Borg]

I'm a bit confused, not American.

How is not attending school a crime 0.0

It's like countries where attending school is a crime - only different.

 

[Jack21222]

I doubt this is the complete truth.

Classmates and her employer corroborate the claim.

As to why relatives can't take care of them, it's quite possible they are poor. I don't know about your families growing up, but it wouldn't have been possible for my family to take on any cousins in our trailer. My family was on welfare as it was (at least for a few months). Not everybody has a rich uncle they can live with. That's probably why the siblings got split up.

Of course, I'm just speculating here, but it's no worse than the speculation that they're lying to the media.

 

[AlephZero]

Classmates and her employer corroborate the claim.

Yup, those poeple are obviously independent unbiased witnesses. Case dismissed. [/IRONY]

But I guess those kids must have pretty expensive lifestyles, if it takes TWO jobs to keep them in the manner to which they were accustomed.

 

[edward]

I'm a bit confused, not American.

How is not attending school a crime 0.0

It is a crime in Texas.

http://www.ehow.com/info_8776837_criminal-truancy-laws-texas.html

 

[edward]

A number of states have truancy laws.

http://www.google.com/search?q=http...f.,cf.osb&fp=d0cf1e5f29dbb824&biw=960&bih=414

Ironically forcing truants to attend school doesn't necessarily mean that they wil be good students.

 

[edward]

It appears that mandatory testing under the No Child Left behind act has discouraged many students.

Federal funding for schools under the NCLB also requires strict attendance.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214080530.htm

ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2008) — A new study by researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas-Austin finds that Texas' public school accountability system, the model for the national No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), directly contributes to lower graduation rates. Each year Texas public high schools lose at least 135,000 youth prior to graduation -- a disproportionate number of whom are African-American, Latino and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students.

In this case all the judge had to do was to look at the girls excellent school performance despite absences. Missing 3 days out of each month never used to be a big deal.

Edit to add link
http://www.ehow.com/info_8776837_criminal-truancy-laws-texas.html

 

[Danger]

From Edward's link:

Truancy is a Class C misdemeanor in Texas. A truancy court judge can impose one or more of the following penalties: community service, counseling (i.e., anger management, substance abuse or self-esteem building workshops, depending upon the circumstances), completion of a tutorial program during which he must make up all missed assignments, preparation for the GED if the court believes that classroom learning is not the proper environment for the student or completion of a job training course.

I see no provision there for jail time, overnight or otherwise.
It also seems somewhat ironic to me that a state with one of the highest ignorance rates in North America has educational requirements. If it takes 18 years to get as stupid as George Bush, there's something seriously wrong.
Reminds me in a way of a girl in my grade 10 class when I was stuck in Ontario. She was sick for a couple of days, and when she returned the principle absolutely insisted that she get a note from her parents or suffer detention. He wouldn't accept the one that her husband had provided. That was purely an institutional thing though; there's no legal requirement to attend school after 16 up here.