Ceres
27-02-2009, 07:37 AM
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/british-mum-jailed-for-daughter-skipping-school/2009/02/27/1235237875707.html
Is it just me or does jail seem a bit OTT?! And of course it's very relevant to the story that she's a single mum.. must mean she's generally irresponsible hey.......:blueroll
LONDON - A British mother has been jailed after allowing her 11-year-old daughter to repeatedly miss school despite living a short walk away.
Lisa Walker, a 41-year-old single mum from Leeds in northern England, was sentenced to 60 days in prison because her daughter Danielle had a 90 per cent non-attendance record.
Leeds magistrates court heard that the girl failed to attend at Whingate primary school, which is just 90 metres from her home, for 81 days out of 90 between June and September 2008.
Danielle's improved slightly between September and February this year, but she still missed 61 per cent of days. The court heard that Walker had once told an attendance officer at the school that sometimes it was difficult to get Danielle to go because she did not want to get out of bed.
Walker had been convicted on three previous occasions for similar offences.
She was jailed in 2004 for 56 days for failing to ensure her three children, including Danielle, went to school.
Deputy chief executive officer of Education Leeds, Ros Vahey, said taking legal action against Walker had been a last resort.
"Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their children go to school," he told the Yorkshire Post newspaper after the hearing.
"Attendance is something we take very seriously and legal action is very much a last resort but in exceptional cases we have to use the full force of the law".
Is it just me or does jail seem a bit OTT?! And of course it's very relevant to the story that she's a single mum.. must mean she's generally irresponsible hey.......:blueroll
LONDON - A British mother has been jailed after allowing her 11-year-old daughter to repeatedly miss school despite living a short walk away.
Lisa Walker, a 41-year-old single mum from Leeds in northern England, was sentenced to 60 days in prison because her daughter Danielle had a 90 per cent non-attendance record.
Leeds magistrates court heard that the girl failed to attend at Whingate primary school, which is just 90 metres from her home, for 81 days out of 90 between June and September 2008.
Danielle's improved slightly between September and February this year, but she still missed 61 per cent of days. The court heard that Walker had once told an attendance officer at the school that sometimes it was difficult to get Danielle to go because she did not want to get out of bed.
Walker had been convicted on three previous occasions for similar offences.
She was jailed in 2004 for 56 days for failing to ensure her three children, including Danielle, went to school.
Deputy chief executive officer of Education Leeds, Ros Vahey, said taking legal action against Walker had been a last resort.
"Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their children go to school," he told the Yorkshire Post newspaper after the hearing.
"Attendance is something we take very seriously and legal action is very much a last resort but in exceptional cases we have to use the full force of the law".