On Tuesday, September 18, the Roseville Police Department’s youth service officers conducted a truancy sweep, visiting high school students who had already accumulated several unexcused absences from school. Twenty-eight (28) students were cited for truancy.
According to Roseville Police Youth Services Sergeant Karl Dyer, the legal penalties for truant students may include driver’s license suspension, probation, and community service. “We don’t want it to go that far,” Sgt. Dyer said. “We want to intervene and correct the problem now, while it is still early in the school year.”
The Roseville Police Department’s goal is to help students be safe and successful at school. Truancy–defined by state law as three or more unexcused absences from school–is a leading risk factor for juvenile delinquency, future unemployment and criminality, teenage pregnancy, and other problems.
Sgt. Dyer said that several more truancy sweeps are planned in the near future: “Our youth service officers will continue visiting truants and issuing citations. Students need to attend every class, every day unless they have a valid excuse.”
Parents in the Roseville Joint Union High School District are urged to call their schools’ attendance hotline promptly whenever students are absent. Parents are also encouraged to frequently monitor their students’ attendance and grades online, using their schools’ HomeLink website. Parents having difficulty getting their student to attend school or stay at school may also call Sgt. Karl Dyer at 774-5052 for further information and assistance.
