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New Hampshire parents could face criminal charges for kids playing hooky

When students play hooky in Rochester, N.H., their parents could be the ones getting a tarnished permanent record, the Huffington Post reports. Rochester police have announced that beginning Jan. 1, parents could face criminal charges or hefty fines of up to $1,000 if their children are chronically late or absent from school [1]. The city will also offer a “diversion program” if parents do not want to pay the fine or take the case to court. The district and police department will be issuing the first summons to parents of children who have missed 15 days or more.

“If we get to the point where we don’t have to charge anyone, that would be our ultimate goal — that these parents are just getting their kids to school and that these kids are getting an education,” Rochester Police Capt. Paul Toussaint told WGME [1].

The Foster’s Daily Democrat reports that in just the first two and a half months of school, 531 of the district’s 4,000 students have been absent 5 to 9.5 days [2]. Another 108 have missed 10 to 14.5 days and 88 were absent more than 15 times…

Click here for the full story [3]