“Petty Revenge On My Own Truant Son”: Mom Figures Out The Perfect Plan To Keep Her Son Going To School, Pretends To Get Arrested

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Teenage rebellion is a natural part of growing up. However, for parents, it’s often a difficult and stressful time. Reddit user u/HelpIHateTexas shared a story on the subreddit r/pettyrevenge about her 16-year-old son that perfectly illustrates this.

The boy started skipping school. It got to a point that no matter what the mom did, he found a way to get out of classes. Worried that he was putting his future at risk, she turned to a police officer she knew for help.

This mom couldn’t get her teenage son to stop skipping classes

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

So she asked a police officer she knew to play a trick on him

Image credits: Martin Jernberg (not the actual photo)

Image source: HelpIHateTexas

The post highlights just how seriously some states take school attendance

Schools take truancy seriously, as excessive absences negatively impact a child’s ability to be a successful student. Data from The Department of Education shows that kids who miss a lot of classes are more likely to fall behind in reading skills, and have a higher drop-out rate than their peers who attend them.

Additionally, public schools in some states like California and Texas receive state and federal funding based on their daily attendance, so they’re heavily motivated in getting students to come in every single day.

Under the “compulsory education” laws in Texas, all children must attend school from the time they’re 6 (or are enrolled in first grade) until they turn 19. There are exceptions, and some students may leave school early if they meet the Texas requirements for dropping out at age 17 or 18.

Although the state has decriminalized its treatment of truants, some parents could still face criminal penalties for not making their children go to school.

In Texas, parents can, in fact, face harsh repercussions if their children routinely skip classes

In 2015, Texas changed the way it deals with truant students. Instead of sending them to juvenile court, the state now has a multistage process focused on addressing the underlying causes of attendance programs. When a student has three or more unexcused absences in a six-month period during the same school year, the district will either:

refer the student to counseling, mediation, or other services; or
require the student and parents to follow a behavior improvement plan.

If those prevention measures fail and students rack up 10 or more absences in 6 months, schools will refer them to truancy court unless those absences resulted from pregnancy, homelessness, being in foster care, or being the main bread-earners in their families. Although truancy isn’t a crime, this civil court may order the truants to take “remedial” steps, such as:

attending school regularly;
attending a tutorial program or a high school equivalency prep course;
performing community service;
attending a special program that provides training or help with things like substance abuse, counseling, or job skills.

Truancy courts may order the parents of frequently absent students to do certain things too, including participate in counseling, take special classes, or perform community service.

If parents disobey those orders, they could be charged with contempt and face fines, up to 3 in jail, and/or community service. Parents could also face misdemeanor charges if they were criminally negligent by not forcing their kids to go to school.

Although her methods are unusual, it sounds like this mom has successfully managed to get her teen to change his ways, and they both avoided any further trouble.