Coffee County Fights Truancy With Early Warning
By: Eddie Phillips
Updated: February 2, 2011
Alabama school systems say stricter enforcement of the law has helped reduce the numbers of truancy cases going to court.
Coffee County District Court uses an early warning system to notify a parent when a child has an unexcused absence. After five unexcused absence the parent is called in for a mandatory conference. Failure to attend can result in a fine or jail time.
But the Department of Human Resources finds that truancy is usually an indication of a deeper problem. Coffee County DHR Director Brandon Hardin (pictured) says, "We do find a lot of times that truancy is a symptom of other things going on in the home."
Coffee County District Court uses an early warning system to notify a parent when a child has an unexcused absence. After five unexcused absence the parent is called in for a mandatory conference. Failure to attend can result in a fine or jail time.
But the Department of Human Resources finds that truancy is usually an indication of a deeper problem. Coffee County DHR Director Brandon Hardin (pictured) says, "We do find a lot of times that truancy is a symptom of other things going on in the home."
