Honor student placed in jail for tardiness and truancy at school

**troung** · 26 May 12,, 22:57

If the judge wanted to send a message he should send her longer - criminals like this deserve much worse

Honor student placed in jail for tardiness and truancy at school

by Sherry Williams/KHOU 11 News

khou.com

Posted on May 24, 2012 at 7:49 PM

Honor student placed in jail for tardiness and truancy at school | khou.com Houston

People across the country offer help to honor student jailed for truancy

HOUSTON—A judge threw a 17-year-old 11th grade honor student from Willis High School in jail after she missed school again.

Judge Lanny Moriarty said last month Diane Tran was in his Justice of the Peace court for truancy and he warned her then to stop missing school. But she recently missed classes again so Wednesday he issued a summons and had her arrested in open court when she appeared.

Tran said she works a full-time job, a part-time job and takes advanced placement and dual credit college level courses. She said she is often too exhausted to wake up in time for school. Sometimes she misses the entire day, she said. Sometimes she arrives after attendance has been taken.

The judge ordered Tran to spend 24 hours in jail and pay a $100 fine. Judge Moriarty admitted that he wants to make an example of Tran.

“If you let one (truant student) run loose, what are you gonna’ do with the rest of ‘em? Let them go too?” Judge Moriarty asked.

Tran said she is working so hard because she is helping to support an older brother who attends Texas A&M University and a baby sister who lives with relatives in Houston. Tran said her parents divorced “out of the blue” and both moved away, leaving her in Willis. Her mother lives in Georgia, she said.

“I always thought our family was happy,” the teen said tearfully.

Tran lives with the family of one of her employers. They own a wedding venue. She works at the Vineyard of Waverly Manor on weekends and at a dry cleaners full time.

“She goes from job to job, from school she stays up ‘til 7 o’clock in the morning,” said her friend, co-worker and classmate Devin Hill.

**Parihaka** · 26 May 12,, 23:11

Why the fuck aren't the parents in court for child abandonment?

**Doktor** · 27 May 12,, 00:27

The court still haven't decided which parent is responsible for the kid maybe.

**dave lukins** · 27 May 12,, 01:57

The Law is not about 'making an example' it is about up holding the law of the land. If that Law states that truancy is a jailable offence, plus a fine, then that applies to all. Putting a seventeen year old in jail for missing school is not the way to endear her to the justice system.

**dave lukins** · 27 May 12,, 02:01

Originally Posted by Doktor

The court still haven't decided which parent is responsible for the kid maybe.

If not then the court case should not have been put before the court until both parents were available to answer for the heinous crimes of their daughter.

**tbm3fan** · 27 May 12,, 03:03

On top of it she is Vietnamese and is doing what any Vietnamese girl, or Filipina girl would do, to help family members. Here is where the culture of the Judge and that of the girl, trying to do her family obligation, clash.

**Bigfella** · 27 May 12,, 04:24

Another victory for the 'every problem can be solved by punishing somebody' brigade.

**bonehead** · 27 May 12,, 05:29

Originally Posted by Bigfella

Another victory for the 'every problem can be solved by punishing somebody' brigade.

No one wants to punish the victim here.....except the judge.

Truancy? No one enforces that anymore. Usually the kid pulls detention for unexcused absences, and you have to question the classes/curriculum if she can miss so much and still do well enough to stay in "advanced" classes

**kato** · 27 May 12,, 10:13

Originally Posted by bonehead

Truancy? No one enforces that anymore.

Parents would get a couple thousand bucks in fines over here. And possibly jail. With the kid removed from their custody.

**dave lukins** · 27 May 12,, 13:56

Originally Posted by kato

Parents would get a couple thousand bucks in fines over here. And possibly jail. With the kid removed from their custody.

Wow. You would have mass wailing and breast beating here. A sixteen year old taken form her parents by the Courts would be headline news and the Human Rights and Liberty would have an apoplexy.

An afterthought: At what age can she legally leave school?

**kato** · 27 May 12,, 14:26

There are US judges who have given German refugees asylum over such issues. One or two families in the past decade.

Still, kids have a (state-level) constitutional right to (and duty to attend) schooling in Germany. Goes beyond the right of the parent to govern over their kid.