Your mam and dad will go to jail, judge warns truant teens

A judge warned two teenagers that their parents will be going to jail unless they start attending school.

In one case at Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan told a 14-year old schoolgirl with an absenteeism rate of 78% that if she doesn’t start attending school “your mam and dad will go to jail”.

In the second case where a 13-year-old boy has a 90% rate of absenteeism, Judge Durcan told the boy that he was playing ‘pookey’ with the court.

Judge Durcan told the teenager: “Be clear on this, young man, if you don’t perform, unfortunately your mother will have to go away.”

In the case concerning the 14-year-old girl, the court heard that she had an absentee rate of 78% in the school year to December last.

The girl was last before the court on January 22 where Judge Durcan told her parents to bring their toothbrushes and overnight bags for yesterday’s court appearance unless she attends 100% of school days.

In court yesterday, solicitor for the Child and Family Agency, Kevin Sherry said that out of the eight school days since her last court appearance, the girl has missed 4.5 days with no medical certs to support her absence.

Directly addressing the third year student in court yesterday, Judge Durcan said that “if you don’t go to school, your mam and dad will go to jail”.

He said: “I don’t want to be putting that level of pressure upon you. It is a heavy burden for you to carry, but you have to go to school.”

The girl told Judge Durcan that she finds it ‘tough’ dealing with the situation.

Judge Durcan said: “If I find you are not at school, then I have will have to make ultimate decisions.”

The parents in the two cases are being prosecuted under Section 25 of the Education (Welfare) Act that allows a judge to impose prison terms of up to one month each after failing to abide by a school attendance notice served on them relating to their son’s non-attendance at school.

In the second case before court yesterday, Mr Sherry said that since the last day in court on January 22, the teenage boy had a 100% rate of absenteeism and was present for school on one day for 30 minutes and another date for five minutes.

He said that this time spent in school was not long enough in school to register being officially present.

The teen told Judge Durcan that he was sent home from school because he didn’t have a journal.

Mr Sherry said that it is his understanding that the boy wasn’t sent home because of having no journal.

Mr Sherry said: “The boy has a 90.3% level of absenteeism. The fact that a journal wasn’t present in court doesn’t excuse the absenteeism.”

Judge Durcan adjourned the case to later in the day yesterday to allow the boy get a new journal and Mr Sherry said that the boy’s mother has agreed to pay for a schoolbag and journal.

The boy’s parents are divorced and Mr Sherry said that the boy’s father is currently on holidays in Australia.

Judge Durcan said that the father could also go to prison.

In the school year until December, the boy was absent 63 out of 71 days — an absentee rate of 88.7%.

Judge Durcan adjourned all cases to next Wednesday for both teens to have a 100% attendance record.