Two Texas school districts stand accused of violating the state’s 2015 law that decriminalized truancy. Advocacy groups came together and filed complaints, urging education officials to investigate and to shore up guidelines so that all schools follow the rules.
The Texas law that decriminalizes truancy and changes how public school districts handle unexcused absences goes into effect on September 1. During the 2015 Legislative session, state lawmakers passed House Bill 2398, which redressed the Failure to Attend School (FTAS) from criminal status to a civil offense called “truant conduct” under the family code.
Texas prosecutes K-12 children and their parents for the Failure to Attend School (FTAS), at more than double the rate of all 49 other states combined. Unlawful absenteeism affects youngsters from all walks of life, often leaving a criminal paper trail that jeopardizes their futures.
The Texas Senate moved forward this week in a bipartisan 26-5 vote to decriminalize truancy. The Failure to Attend School (FTAS) or “truancy” is currently a juvenile Class C misdemeanor that carries fines and criminal marks on a student’s record for cutting class. It may soon be a thing of the past as the Texas Senate moved forward to decriminalize it through Senate Bill 106 (SB 106).
A heated debate erupted over a proposed bill that would decriminalize truancy for minors in Texas. The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice hearing room was standing room only as legislators prepared to hear public testimony on the matter. Senate Bill
Today, Texas is only one of two states that still criminalizes truancy. Texas prosecutes children for truancy at more than double the rate of all forty-nine other states combined. Schoolchildren are prosecuted, punished and fined for cutting classes and missing school. Their futures are often jeopardized by criminal records over their unlawful absenteeism.