Fla. Mom Arrested Over Student Skipping Class

Florida officials are prosecuting a mother whose child has missed nearly 60 days of school.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (CBS) ― A Gainesville mother has been arrested after her daughter missed too many days of school, reports CBS station WFOR-TV in Miami.

The unidentified woman was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after her ninth-grade daughter had 59 unexcused absences. Alachua County's school attendance review board then filed a petition.

Alachua County Sheriff's spokesman Art Forgey says it's the first case in a while where a parent has been charged. He said the board is also reviewing other cases that could bring charges.

Florida requires attendance after 15 unexcused absences. District officials must then follow a process to work with parents to get their children to attend school.

Charles Hall, the district's director for dropout prevention, says prosecution is a last resort.

Florida law defines "habitual truant" as a student who has 15 or more unexcused absences within 90 calendar days with or without the knowledge or consent of the student's parent or guardian and who is subject to compulsory school attendance.

Across the country, prosecutors have tried to fight truancy, threatening jail time and fines for parents of children who chronically skip school. The moves are the latest step in the nation's march to hold students to higher educational standards and to hold their parents to higher standards of accountability.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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