Mother punished for her kids' truancy at school
California mom sentenced to 180 days in jail for her children's poor attendance
A California mom was sentenced to 180 days in jail after she pleaded guilty to allowing her kids to miss more than 10 percent of the of the school last year , KMPH.com reported.
Lorraine Cuevas, 34, is one of the first parents in the state to be convicted under the state’s chronic truancy law, the report said.
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"We take attendance very seriously, and we want our kids to be in school," Tim Bowers, the superintendent for Kings County Schools, said.
Bowers said Cuevas ignored phone calls and letters warning her about the possible consequences. He told the station, on average, the school will make 15 to 20 calls before it takes action.
Cuevas is the second mother in the district to be placed behind bars over truancy. She has a child in the second and third grade, and the two missed a total of 116 days of school last year, the report said.
Parents at the Monroe Elementary School in Hanford, Calif., appeared to have mixed reaction over the sentencing, the report said.
"Put her on the freeway to clean up the mess or something," Melissa Mooney, a parent at the school said. "Who's going to watch her kids? I think 180 days is extreme."
Adriana Castaneda, another parent at the school, said the mother got off with a light sentence.
"I would have given her a year," she said. "Honestly, I think that punishment is not enough because a kids' education is really important."
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