LONG BEACH -- Police on Thursday announced the arrest of a local mother, the first time a parent has been arrested for failing to keep her child in school since the city beefed up its truancy law earlier this year.
Ermila Zamora, 43, was arrested Monday after several attempts by school and city officials to address her son's frequency truancy at Washington Middle School failed, said Sgt. Rico Fernandez, a Long Beach Police Department spokesman.
Long Beach Police began working with City Prosecutor Doug Haubert earlier this year after Haubert launched the new law, called the Parent Accountability and Chronic Truancy (PACT) Program, which aims to reduce chronic truancy among local students.
The new law effect on Jan. 1 of this year and identifies any student who misses 10 percent or more of class time as chronically truant.
Not long after the new law took effect, Zamora's son and his lack of attendance quickly caught the eye of police, prosecutors and school officials, the sergeant said.
As of January, the student had already missed more than 20 days of school and had been through the the Long Beach Unified School District's Attendance Review Board (SARB), which works with parents to address truancy problems, Fernandez said.
With no improvement seen the case was transfered to the City Prosecutor's Office, which held five meetings that included police department and school district staff and the student's mother, Fernandez said.
The student's attendance still failed to improve and the arrest of Zamora was ordered by the City Prosecutor, the sergeant said.
"By the time of her arrest, the student had over 50 days of unexcused absences from school," the sergeant said Thursday.
"Investigators also learned that in 2007, Zamora was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for failing to ensure the attendance in school of her older son as well," he added.
Zamora was arrested on the misdemeanor charge Monday and booked into the Long Beach City Jail. Jail records show she was released Tuesday in lieu of $10,000 bail.
If convicted, she faces the possibility of a year in county jail and a $2,000 fine, Fernandez said.
Police and prosecutors said Thursday the new law aims to get kids in school and for parents to understand they are accountable if they fail to do so.
"We are taking school truancy seriously," Haubert said Thursday. "Police officers and school officials are doing everything they can to keep kids in school out of trouble, and if parents are unwilling to take responsibility themselves, then we will take action against the parents."
Ermila Zamora, 43, was arrested Monday after several attempts by school and city officials to address her son's frequency truancy at Washington Middle School failed, said Sgt. Rico Fernandez, a Long Beach Police Department spokesman.
Long Beach Police began working with City Prosecutor Doug Haubert earlier this year after Haubert launched the new law, called the Parent Accountability and Chronic Truancy (PACT) Program, which aims to reduce chronic truancy among local students.
The new law effect on Jan. 1 of this year and identifies any student who misses 10 percent or more of class time as chronically truant.
Not long after the new law took effect, Zamora's son and his lack of attendance quickly caught the eye of police, prosecutors and school officials, the sergeant said.
As of January, the student had already missed more than 20 days of school and had been through the the Long Beach Unified School District's Attendance Review Board (SARB), which works with parents to address truancy problems, Fernandez said.
With no improvement seen the case was transfered to the City Prosecutor's Office, which held five meetings that included police department and school district staff and the student's mother, Fernandez said.
The student's attendance still failed to improve and the arrest of Zamora was ordered by the City Prosecutor, the sergeant said.
"By the time of her arrest, the student had over 50 days of unexcused absences from school," the sergeant said Thursday.
"Investigators also learned that in 2007, Zamora was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for failing to ensure the attendance in school of her older son as well," he added.
Zamora was arrested on the misdemeanor charge Monday and booked into the Long Beach City Jail. Jail records show she was released Tuesday in lieu of $10,000 bail.
If convicted, she faces the possibility of a year in county jail and a $2,000 fine, Fernandez said.
Police and prosecutors said Thursday the new law aims to get kids in school and for parents to understand they are accountable if they fail to do so.
"We are taking school truancy seriously," Haubert said Thursday. "Police officers and school officials are doing everything they can to keep kids in school out of trouble, and if parents are unwilling to take responsibility themselves, then we will take action against the parents."
Leave a comment