SPRINGFIELD – A woman convicted of state truancy laws for her child's poor school attendance received a sentence of two days in the county jail.  A jury convicted Kathleen Casteel in April and she was sentenced on Tuesday morning.

Associate Circuit Judge Mark Fitzsimmons also ordered Casteel to serve two years of probation and to attend a parenting life skills class by Sept. 10, and said her son should attend a public school, not home schooling, in the next school year.  Fitzsimmons said Casteel’s shock time in the county jail should start June 27 at 8 p.m. and end 48 hours later.

The jury recommended a seven-day jail sentence for Casteel, who was convicted for having her son in school only 51 percent of the time, as opposed to the required 90 percent under state law. The judge's sentence wasn't quite as harsh but is still one with which prosecutors say they are happy -- and one that will send a message to all parents to keep their kids in school.

"It's unfortunate that it had to get to this point as far as sentencing,” said Becky Morgan, the truancy coordinator for the Springfield School District.

Morgan sat and listened as Casteel heard her sentence

"I thought the sentence was fair. Our whole goal is to improve attendance,” said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joe Knipp.

The district believes this punishment will do just that. They say they weren't looking for jail time or anything else besides Casteel's children in class everyday.

"I really hope that (her son) does get back in school and that this helps the two younger siblings see the importance of working with their mom and abiding by mother's wishes and seeing the importance of coming to education,” said Morgan.

"The responsibility lies with the parents to get the child in school,” said Knipp.

Defense attorneys would not do formal interviews. Some points of their defense in court were that Casteel is a single mother of five. They say the father is not around. Also, they say, putting Casteel in jail doesn’t really further the cause of the 13-year-old boy being in school. Defense attorneys say they plan to appeal the conviction and sentence.

Prosecutors say it’s been four years since a parent has received jail time in Greene County for truancy problems. Casteel is one of five parents charged last fall with breaking state attendance laws.

The district says it was lengthy process to get to this point. There’s not even a letter to parents from the prosecutor until after eight absences with no contact from the parent to the school.

Casteel’s ex-husband was also charged last December, along with three others, with violating the state’s truancy law.  Prosecutors have chosen to defer Rod Casteel's case.