O.C. Set to Crack Down on Truants

As most Orange County schools begin classes next week, prosecutors are launching a crackdown on truancy in which they will seek court sanctions against students who routinely skip school, and their parents.

Three deputy district attorneys have been assigned to the new detail and will deal directly with the hundreds of students who are considered habitually truant from class.

The goal is less to punish students than to get them to stay in school.

But repeat violators could face truancy charges in Juvenile Court and be placed on probation.

“Nobody is going to jail after one violation,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Nikki Erlandson, who is leading the effort.

“However, if there’s a violation of the terms of probation, they may be days in custody.”

Parents could also face charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor if prosecutors feel that they knew of the chronic truancy but didn’t do anything about it.

The new initiative marks an aggressive push by the district attorney’s office, which up to now has rarely involved itself in truancy matters and has filed charges in only the most egregious cases.

Assistant Dist. Atty. Jim Tanizaki said his office has prosecuted only a handful of students in the last few years.

Prosecutors received state and federal grants totaling more than $200,000 for the new effort, which they hope will reduce crime by and against truants.

Educators said Tuesday they are eager for the district attorney’s involvement, adding that it could help persuade both parents and children to obey truancy laws.

“When a parent gets a note on the district attorney’s letterhead saying their child is a habitual truant by law, that gets their attention,” said Peggy Adin, director of student support services for the Santa Ana Unified School District.

Truancy is defined by the state Education Code as three or more unexcused absences in a school year.

Schools will now report problem students to the D.A.’s office.

Prosecutors will then notify parents in writing and request meetings to discuss ways to keep the children in school.

“Our main focus is to keep kids in school by getting involved in problems early, not just bringing down the hammer,” Erlandson said.

In Santa Ana alone, officials said, roughly 200 students a year are considered to have excessive unexcused absences.

The city was the site of one of the few truancy cases against parents in recent memory.

Prosecutors last year filed criminal charges against the parents of a 6-year-old girl who missed 29 days of school in two months.

The charge carries a potential penalty of up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.

Orange County Schools Supt. Bill Habermehl said he is encouraged that both educators and law enforcement officials are taking a tougher stand against truancy.

“It used to be that we’d call kids up and say, ‘Get back in school or you’ll be in trouble,’ ” Habermehl said.

“Now we’re getting the parents involved and we’re getting other agencies involved. There’s a lot more we can do now to solve this problem.”