TX teen jailed for excessive truancy
HOUSTON, TX (BDCi) – Last week, 11th-grade Diane Tran was in jail for 24 hours and ordered to pay a $100 fine for excessive truancy, after she was warned by a judge last month about her absences.
Tran, an honor student, had missed 18 days of school, eight more than allowed in a six-month period. She had been working two jobs to support her two siblings following her parents’ divorce.
Texas judge Lanny Moriarty set aside contempt charges against the 17-year-old after reviewing the circumstances that led her to miss so much school as well as the fact that the court failed to notify Tran of her right to an attorney.
The initial ruling received an intense public outcry and hundreds of people have rallied to her cause. The Louisiana Children’s Education Alliance has raised over $100,000 from 49 states and 13 countries.
Tran plans to keep working her two jobs, for a dry cleaner and a wedding planner, during summer.
By: Diego Díaz Source: KTLA Photo: Google 1 June 2012
11:05 a.m. P.D.T.