Dive Brief:
- On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that ends the state’s criminalization of truancy, which involved fines and even jail time for students who skipped class.
- Under the previous law, each year, roughly 100,000 Texas students as young as 12 ended up in criminal court for unexcused absences.
- The practice resulted in substantial costs to students, bringing in an estimated $10 million in court costs and fines last year.
Dive Insight:
Among the criticisms of the state's old truancy law was the fact that it disproportionately impacted already-vulnerable communities, from students with disabilities to Hispanic students. The discrepancies, which were uncovered by advocacy group Texas Appleseed, prompted an Office of Civil Rights investigation.
On top of that, critics said the dire consequences threatened by the law — steep fines and jail time if a student failed to pay — didn’t actually keep students in class, anyway, and potentially added to their absences if they had to attend court or spend time in jail. Still, the change prompted pushback from some school districts worried that it would send a signal that addressing truancy wasn’t a priority.