Story Published:
Dec 17, 2007 at 6:24 PM CST
Story Updated:
Apr 23, 2008 at 3:02 PM CST
SPRINGFIELD -- The Greene County prosecuting attorney’s office believes parents should send their kids to school. If they don’t, as five parents found out Monday, they could face charges for their child's truancy.
The five parents all have children under the age of 12, so prosecutors say it's their responsibility to make sure the kids get to school. In some cases, the kids missed as much as 30 days of class in a row, and attended school just 18 percent of the time.
The charges are rare in Greene County. Truancy charges haven't been filed against parents since 2004 -- but that could change. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joe Knipp says prosecutors may begin filing charges twice a year in an effort to send a strong message to parents.
The charges follow months of home visits by an attendance advisor, letters from the school and letters from the prosecutor’s office. Knipp says the school district does everything it can to help parents of truant kids -- from offering transportation to clothes, if they aren't provided.
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The parents who are charged with violating the Missouri Compulsory Attendance Law are Debbie and John Strahl of Springfield, Rod Casteel of Buffalo, Kathleen Casteel of Walnut Grove, and Miccie Szilveszter of
Springfield.
A school district attendance advisor says the Strahls’ daughter attended school only 14 percent of the time in the last school year, missing more than 80 days after re-enrolling at Pershing between Jan. 30 and June 7. The attendance advisor says another child of the Strahls attended Pershing Middle School only 73 percent of the time in the last school year.
A Springfield School District attendance advisor says the Casteels’ child attended classes at Reed Middle School only 52 percent of the time, missing more than 50 days in the last school year before withdrawing from school on April 2.
An attendance advisor says Szilveszter’s child attended only 47 percent of the time at Bowerman Elementary School, missing 44 days between Aug. 28 and Dec. 13, 2006, before withdrawing to home school, and then missed 24 days after re-enrolling on March 23 until the end of the school year on June 6.
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If convicted, each parent would be required to enroll a student in a school within three days and could be given a 15-day sentence in the county jail and/or a fine of $300. If students continued to miss classes, parents or guardians could face the same penalties for each day of truancy.
