SUITLAND, Md. — Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy is warning the parents of truant students that they can be held criminally responsible if their kids are missing school for no good reason.
"It could result in jail time. That is not the goal. That is not what I think is the best option, but it's on the table," Braveboy said.
Inside the packed gym at Drew Freeman Middle School, Prince George's State's Attorney warned families about the risks of kids missing school. The room was filled with middle and high schoolers whom the Prince George's County School system has deemed truant.
Braveboy says that when her office subpoenas school records in criminal cases involving youth, too often they find that the suspects were not in school or were only sporadically attending classes.
"That is something that we see consistently when we deal with cases of young people who have committed very serious offenses," she told reporters.
Prince George's top prosecutor says the teens charged in the shooting that killed 16-year-old DuVal High School student Jayda Medrano-Moore and the four teens who died after crashing a carjacked vehicle into a tree in Bowie had something in common.
"From our understanding, none of those kids were in school regularly," Braveboy said.
The issue with truancy in Prince George's County was also brought to light when 15-year-old Kaden Holland, who goes by "Baby K," was charged with murder in D.C. and attempted murder in Maryland.
In May 2023, three teen boys pushed their way past a Prince George’s County school bus driver and aide in Oxon Hill and tried to shoot another student, but the gun misfired, saving the victim’s life, investigators said. Two of the teenage suspects were taken into custody shortly after the attack, but Holland managed to evade arrest for weeks.
In the past Braveboy says her office has teamed up with the Prince George's County School system in sending letters to parents whose kids have five or more days of unexcused absences.
"Those letters lay out the law, what is required in state law, that these kids attend school. That if they don't attend school that there are criminal penalties that would be attached to both them and their parents," she added.
The warning comes as the county tries to curb youth crime ahead of the summer. Police data shows last year in Prince George's County 147 kids or teens were arrested for carjacking and nearly 100 for carrying a gun.
Braveboy says it's not about criminalizing but keeping parents and students compliant. She says her office has resources to help families keep their kids in school, but parents need to reach out to get the help they need.
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