advertisement

Up to $750 fine for Arlington Heights parents of truant kids

Parents of students who attend Arlington Heights schools could face fines of up to $750 if they knowingly let their kids skip school without reporting their absences, under rules approved Tuesday by the village board.

The truancy ordinance, modeled after a similar one in Schaumburg, came at the request of the four school districts in town and the Arlington Heights Police Department, who said officers would cite and fine parents in rare instances when other options have been exhausted. Current village code already allows students to be cited for truancy.

“This is just another tool in the toolbox for our school districts to make sure their kids are in school and getting the high-quality education that is afforded here in the village of Arlington Heights,” said Mayor Tom Hayes, who was part of the 4-2 majority vote in favor of the ordinance Tuesday night. “This is a last resort, and the potential where situations might occur are very few and far between.”

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

Across Arlington Heights, village officials say there have been 13 instances in the past few years where parents could have been cited for students' chronic truancy. Since 2015, the village has issued 40 citations to students for truancy.

Under the original proposal, a parent citation would have been considered a local ordinance violation heard by a judge at the Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows. But trustees agreed to have the citations heard in village hall as part of village administrative adjudication hearings with a hearing officer and village prosecutor.

“It will help give an important amount of privacy to the child and family,” said Trustee Robin LaBedz. “I think that's the appropriate way to handle this.”

But Trustees Mike Sidor and Richard Baldino, who voted “no,” cautioned that citing parents could complicate difficult issues children already face at home.

“If you cite a child, you're citing a family already. I don't feel you necessarily need the right to cite twice,” Baldino said. “If we cite these (parents) and assess a penalty, that will increase fear and resentment and make the situation possibly worse.”

Village Manager Randy Recklaus said police would cite parents only after all police and school district resources, including counseling and social work, have been used.

“It's a last resort, when families are outright uncooperative,” Recklaus said.

Arlington Heights could fine parents for truant kids

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.