(Memphis) Parents at two Memphis City elementary Schools are facing legal trouble after nearly 100 kids are truant in the first semester of this school year.
Councilman Harold Collins mentioned the issue Tuesday during a city council committee meeting, “I had 66 elementary students from kindergarten to fourth grade in court because they were not in school. Some kindergarteners have missed 25 days of school from August to December 2nd.”
That number is just from Shannon Elementary in North Memphis.
“It’s frustrating to have a school with an enrollment of 262 students and 66 of them are in court from K-4th grade for missing 25, 20, 19 days of school,” said Collins.
Westwood Elementary had 26 students considered truant in the first semester of this school year.
All of those parents whose students missed more than 5 days of school were sent notices by mail last week.
It will now be up to District Attorney General Amy Weirich to decide if the parents will go to court or if they will be given an opportunity to comply.
“The parents don’t want to get up that’s just it, that’s the only excuse that I can think of,” said Westwood Elementary Stephanie Munn.
MCS said with a crackdown alongside the Shelby County District Attorney’s office that they have reduced truancy numbers by 70 percent in the past several years.