County Proposes Punishing Parents For Truant Students Criminal Misdemeanor Charges Possible If Mediation Fails

To curb misbehavior and reduce numbers in juvenile detention centers, Twin Falls County may exact fines and jail parents of truant students.

The county is considering an ordinance that would hold parents legally accountable for children between 7 and 16 who skip school.

Mediation between parents and students is an option for first-time offenders, and that includes students caught skipping class the first time. If mediation does not correct the misbehavior, criminal misdemeanor charges will be brought against the parents.

The misdemeanor would be punishable by a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in jail. Children could be brought to court for a status offense.

“This holds the juvenile and the parents equally responsible,” County Commissioner Dennis Maughan said.

Parents are legally responsible for their children, but no legal consequences exist for parents who do not make sure their young are in class, Maughan said. The new ordinance would give the law some teeth.

Truants, runaways, incorrigible youth and juveniles who violate curfew laws would be affected.

The proposed rule would require parents and their child to sign a contract that acknowledges the youth broke the law, explores reasons for the misbehavior and outlines ways to correct it.

Contract terms could include counseling, parenting classes, mentoring programs, religious advice or other methods.

The county will hold a public hearing on the ordinance before it is adopted, Maughan said. It has received a $100,000 state grant, but will listen to public input and consider compromises, he said.

The county will hire a program administrator responsible for referring cases to mediation, Maughan said. Truants can be reported by police or schools. Schools still will be able to handle cases internally.

Twin Falls High School principal Ben Allen has mixed feelings about punishing parents. Some parents bend over backward to cooperate, but their child still refuses to attend school, he said.