PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — The Prince George's County State's Attorney is taking aim at truancy by holding parents accountable in court for their child's unexcused absences.
During a March truancy meeting at Drew Freeman Middle School, State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy warned parents that they could be held criminally responsible if their student is truant.
Under Maryland law, a truant student is defined as one who is "unlawfully absent" from school for more than:
- 8 days in any quarter
- 15 days in any semester
- 20 days in a school year
So far this year, Braveboy's office says they have taken 77 of these cases to court, which is twice as many as in previous years. Forty-five of those cases are under a pilot program launched by Prince George's County's top prosecutor at Drew Freeman Middle School and Bladensburg and Suitland High Schools.
The State's Attorney's Office says they plan to make the anti-truancy program county-wide by next year. Braveboy insists that her enforcement is not focused on criminally charging parents.
"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," she told WUSA9 back in March.
A parent charged with the misdemeanor for their truant student must appear in court and answer to a judge.
Maryland law allows a person convicted of this misdemeanor to be punished with fines, imprisonment, or both.
Braveboy is part of a county-wide truancy workgroup led by District 7 Prince George's County Council Member Krystal Oriadha. The 17-member group includes school, police and social service officials.
"We can't judge every situation the same, but what's important is that we create a system that addresses all the needs. If it's a need for resources, we have a system for that, but if there is a need for accountability, we also have a system for that," Oriadha told WUSA9 ahead of her second workgroup meeting.
Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) says their truancy rate is going down compared to last year across the district. Numbers released in February show that in Jan. 2024 chronic absenteeism decreased by almost 6%, from 34.89% in January 2023 to 29.10% in January 2024. The school system says that is the lowest it has been in three years.
The school system added in a release, "District leaders link the decline to multiple efforts, including a focus on school communication and absence notifications for parents, increased central office support and monitoring and additional staff training."
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