A proposed bill could help address the cases filed after children miss school regularly in one area of Central Texas.
For several years, one justice of the peace has been handling truancy cases for all the public schools in Bell County.
Out of 8,738 Temple ISD students, 62 of them had truancy cases this school year. Belton ISD, with 11,872 students enrolled, has filed 29 cases so far. Academy ISD, which has an enrollment of nearly 1,600 students, filed three cases this school year.
Temple ISD Superintendent Dr. Bobby Ott said it’s challenging for one judge and a few truancy officers to handle all those cases.
“At that point, that is just an inefficient model. The ratios aren’t there and so you get a backlog. You get a stacking effect on working the truancy cases,” Ott said.
State Rep. Hugh Shine (R-55) introduced a bill to create an administrative appointee called “truancy master” that will serve in the same capacity as the justice of the peace that handles those cases. If passed, the bill would go into effect in September.
“It should foster some open communications with the school districts and the courts and hopefully it would reduce the backlog and the workload of having all the cases run through only one rather than a couple of different courts,” Rep. Shine said.
Academy ISD Assistant Superintendent Alex Remschel said students are expected to attend school while they wait for their court date. However, some of them continue to skip school instead.
"I’m a proponent of the new bill with truancy masters where we can address truancy issues in a faster fashion where we can get kids back in school as soon as possible and not have a three or four, or five-week delay, where they are getting 10, 15 more absences,” Remschel said.
Dr. Ott also said it would be beneficial for the court dates to happen soon after the case is filed.
"If you can issue consequences whether that's fines or whatever that may be earlier hopefully you can get their attention and correct their behavior,” Ott said.
According to Shine, other legislators expressed interest of being added to the bill so it applies for their counties.
Bell County is currently evaluating its handling of truancy cases.
Incoming Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2 Judge Cliff Coleman will be providing truancy court services for the next few months. At that point, the Commissioner’s Court would determine the best court of action moving forward.
Bell County Judge David Blackburn said appointing a truancy master would be an option officials will take into account.
“While I don’t know that will be the course of action that we ultimately take, it would be good to have that option on the table as one to consider,” Blackburn said.
Truancy case rules in Texas:
If a student has three or more unexcused absences for three days or parts within a four week period, school districts are required to adopt truancy preventive measures. After the third unexcused absence, parents receive a letter, notifying them about the situation.
Students may be sent to truancy court if they are absent 10 or more or parts of days within a six month period.
In order for a student to earn credit or receive a final grade in a class, a student must have attended at least 90 percent of the time the class was offered.
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