MARTINSVILLE, Va. – As students in Martinsville prepare to go back to school and back to routine Tuesday, the school division’s truancy policy is drawing renewed attention on social media.
Under the policy, parents could face fines or jail time if their child misses too much school.
“What we were focusing on is the truancy issue in the elementary and middle school level, specifically the elementary school level,” said Andy Hall, Martinsville’s commonwealth’s attorney. “Once a child gets behind, it’s almost impossible for them to catch up.”
Hall said his office and leaders of Martinsville City Public Schools have been trying to find ways to solve the truancy problem and came up with a plan to increase penalties for some parents.
Excessive truancy is now considered a Class 1 misdemeanor — contributing to the delinquency of a minor. That’s punishable by a $2,500 fine and possible jail time.
So far, only five parents have been charged, but none have faced conviction because their students returned to class.
“Am I looking to put people in jail over this? The answer is no,” Hall told 10 News. “But it is designed to make them see the seriousness of the problem.”
Even though the policy went into effect last September, it’s still facing criticism. Some on social media said the policy would hurt vulnerable families. But others 10 News spoke with said it was the right move.
“The schools need to follow up with the parents [about] why the kids is not in school because I see kids walking up and down the street all the time that should be in school,” said Brenda Stovall, who owns Brenda’s Catering in Uptown Martinsville.
A spokesperson for Martinsville City Public Schools told 10 News the school division has a chronic absenteeism specialist who works with families, and a support team steps in once a student has several unexcused absences.
“Our goal is for these types of charges to be rare, and we have various supports in place to help families avoid serious cases of truancy,” said Callie Hietala, communications and community outreach coordinator for Martinsville City Public Schools.
Hall said officials are constantly evaluating whether this program is effective at keeping kids in school and, if necessary, will reassess whether to keep the enhanced penalties in place.