MEDIA ADVISORY
Date: September 8, 2004
Contact: Lana Wyant, Special Assistant Deputy
District Attorney
Phone: (916) 874-5907
PARENTS - SEND YOUR KIDS TO
SCHOOL
32 IN CUSTODY
District Attorney Jan Scully is pleased to announce
the success of the ninth truancy - SARB sweep in Sacramento County.
These sweeps are intended to send a strong message to irresponsible
parents - that they will be held criminally responsible if their school
age children fail to obey the compulsory school attendance laws.
Today multiple law enforcement agencies coordinated the effort to arrest
parents who shirk their responsibility for seeing that their children
attend school. Approximately eighty (80) arrest warrants were issued for
parents charging a violation of Penal Code Section 272, contributing to
the delinquency of a minor for failing to send their children to school.
Out of the eighty arrest warrants, thirty-two (32) people were arrested.
In addition to the arrests, 3 children were taken into the custody of
Child Protective Services (CPS), and several others were referred to
CPS.
Without the commitment and collaboration of the community and law
enforcement agencies this truancy sweep would not have such a profound
impact on ensuring that parents take responsibility for keeping their
children in school.