Parents Charged For Teen's Truancy
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McKINNEY (CBS11) - Every morning is a struggle in the Abernathy home.
"You know, you dread for morning to come," said mother Darlene Abernathy.
At 6 foot 9 inches, her 18 year old son towers over her and fights every day to avoid going to school.
"It's just terrible to watch... to watch a child throw their life away, and you're doing everything you can do. And, they just won't listen. They just don't care," said the teen's father, Paul Abernathy.
The Abernathys say they've tried punishment, counseling, even calling police.
Last month, though, a deputy constable served them with a court summons for a "Parent Contributing to Non-Attendance" hearing after at least 10 tardies or absences within a six month period.
"I was floored," said Darlene.
"We have criminal charges against us for this," said Paul.
A recent change in state law means students can no longer be criminally charged for skipping school.
Their parents, however, can be - all the way until their child's 19th birthday.
The criminal charge is intended for parents who are negligent, so the Abernathys have saved emails to the school to show their involvement.
"Not once were we presented with assistance or help," said Paul.
A McKinney ISD spokesperson said he could not discuss situations involving individual students, but wrote CBS11:
"School districts are required to follow the statutory obligations when students exceed the maximum number of absences permitted by law."
The new law requires schools implement truancy prevention measures, but the Texas Education Agency is still deciding what those should be.
"TEA staff continues to work on the text of those truancy rules with the expectation that they will be adopted later this summer," wrote agency spokesperson Lauren Callahan.
In the meantime, the Abernathys believe they're not the only parents affected.
"Could we have done more? We live with that every day," said Paul.
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