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Arlington Heights could fine parents for truant kids

Arlington Heights parents who knowingly let their kids skip school without reporting their absences could face tickets and fines, under a proposal by the village and police department.

Current village code allows students to be cited for truancy, but a proposed ordinance would have the rules apply to parents who don't call the school office and provide a valid excuse for their child's absence. The language was crafted from a similar Schaumburg ordinance.

"In many cases we're called by the school saying, 'The parent didn't call in, and we don't know where the kid is. We'd like a check for well-being,'" said Officer Rick Veenstra, who serves as the school resource officer in Arlington Heights Elementary District 25. "If we go out there and the kid is not at the house, then we have to track down the parent and find out why is the kid missing. We've had that happen on several occasions."

"I would like to think we could sit down and explain to the parent in detail why it's important to call the school and avoid a possible search for a missing kid when they're not actually missing," Veenstra told village board members at a committee of the whole meeting Monday.

Police proposed the new rules after District 25 officials reported recurring truancy involving 10 families, each with students who have at least 10 unexcused absences a year.

The citation would be considered a local ordinance violation heard by a judge at the Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows. Penalties levied by the judge could range from $5 to $750.

Village trustees were set to vote on the ordinance Monday, but delayed consideration after requesting additional clarification from village staff.

Trustee Thomas Glasgow questioned whether the proposed rules mesh with recent changes to state law on student discipline, and if there could be language barriers between parents and school officials that lead to the unexcused student absences.

Glasgow also asked if there were recurring truancy issues in other Arlington Heights school districts besides District 25.

Officials are aiming to bring back the ordinance for discussion and possible action before the school year begins.

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