Honor Student Jailed for Absences from School

[MandyPug]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...ef=mostpopular

Diane Tran, a 17-year-old honor student in Texas, was forced to spend the night in jail last week after missing too many classes, KHOU-11's Sherry Williams reports.

The Willis High School junior, who helps support two siblings, has both a full time and part-time job. She said that she's often too tired to go to school.

"She goes from job to job from school," Devin Hill, one of Tran's classmates, told KHOU-11. "She stays up until 7:00 in the morning doing her homework."

In an interview with KHOU-11, Tran said she takes AP Spanish, college level algebra and dual credit English and history courses. Her parents divorced and no longer live near her, so she lives with the family that owns the wedding venue where she works on weekends.

According to Texas law, if a student has ten or more unexcused absences within a six-month period, the school district may refer the student to a juvenile court. "In such cases, resolution of the issue is entirely in the hands of the court," reads a statement on the website of the Willis Independent School District.

After being warned by a judge in April about missing too much school, Tran was arrested in court on Wednesday and required to spend the night in jail, according to the above video from KHOU-11. She has also been fined $100.

Tran's case has spread online, with dozens of news outlets across the country picking up her story. HelpDianeTran.com, a site set up by the Louisiana Children's Education Alliance in partnership with Anedot and Gatorworks, has raised over $28,000.

A petition at Change.org that calls for the judge to revoke the teen's fine and sentencing was approaching 26,000 signatures on Monday afternoon.

"This remarkable young woman doesn't deserve jail," wrote a Change.org commenter going by Letitia Gutierrez. "She deserves a medal."

Williams, the KHOU-11 reporter, visited the judge who sent Tran to jail. Watch the video above to hear the judge's reasoning behind the punishment.

All I can say is wow, poor kid.

[sassafras]

How... out of all the things wrong with that situation, truancy is what brought attention to it? I mean, I guess I'm glad she's getting help now, but... talk about falling through the cracks.

[Miakoda]

Communication was needed here.

As it is, the law is the law. While adjustments are made, one needs to communicate the issues at hand.

[Renee750il]

Yes, the inmates ARE running the asylum.

[Greenmagick]

Yeah, I saw this last week...disgusting.

Here we have a CHILD who needs help and what does she get? A jail sentence.

[Lyzelle]

I'm actually not surprised they would do that, but lack of communication was definitely an issue here.

Hopefully things work out for her.

[ACooper]

Agree with Mia and Lyzelle.......communication was DESPERATELY needed here.

If the school is aware of all the facts and still did this to her, a POX on them! Especially after seeing the recent ad campaign about high school drop outs.

[Renee750il]

I suppose they're using the Zero Tolerance umbrella to justify it?

[sassafras]

Why are we outraged at the school but not the parents, again? At least the school's action has brought some attention to her situation and might get her some desperately-needed help. I almost wonder if that was their intention.

[Lyzelle]

If the parents dumped her, there is really little that can be done on that front. They can just as easily say she wanted to stay there by herself. It's a heresay issue, unless there is any specific law abou a 17 yr old being out on their own.

The only reason I know is Jin graduated his senior year alone, with both parents across the country. No one cared. He didn't want to live with either of them, let alone moving again.

If she thought being on her own was better than with her parents, and they didn't cry "runaway" the parents are irrelevant. Scum, but irrelevant.