Truancy Lands Parents Behind Bars

If your kid is not in school then YOU could wind up behind bars. The Marion County School and Judicial systems want to squash truancy and one parent has already gone to jail.

The Marion County School Superintendent tells us they've put parents in jail before, but he says this is the first time this has happened this year and he hopes it sends a message to every other parent in his district.

From Elementary School to Jail - Marion County Authorities are cracking down on truancy.

"There's certain responsibilities that you take on as a parent and one of those are getting a child to school on time and that's very important," Superintendent Mark Griffith says.

Griffith tells us that he wants to set a precedent for other parents whose kids are simply not showing up to school. This comes just days after a judge forced Heather Stewart, whose daughter goes to Whitwell Elementary, to spend two days in jail.

"I think it was a situation where there were several tardies, several absences that took place and she had been summoned to Truancy Board," Griffith says.

Griffith says the board then summoned Stewart to court.

"Judge Blevins took a stand on it and discovered he was fed up with the situation," Griffith says.

We spoke with Stewart twice on the phone and both times she told us she would meet us at Whitwell Elementary School to tell her side of the story but she never showed up. Stewart did call us later on and told us her attorney told her not to talk.

"We understand that there are situations that arise where there maybe a sickness or things like that and we're very compassionate and tolerant with those things but if it's just a process of just not getting up and not getting your child to school on time we step in and do what we need to do," Griffith says.

Which means more Marion County parents could wind up behind bars if they're their kids aren't in their seats.

"By this happening at the end of the year I hope it carries over to the 2009 2010 school year," Griffith says.

The Superintendent tells us they're willing to do anything to help parents get their kids to school including providing alarm clocks.