Agency arrested Greensboro woman May 11
In a bid to enforce Alabama state laws regarding school attendance, Hale County Sheriff Mike Hamilton is urging parents to ensure their school-age children are either attending school or being homeschooled. A statement issued this week, intended to remind citizens of the legal implications of noncompliance, read: “Reminder: Parents/Guardians can and will be charged for failing to send children to school per state law.”
Last week, Hale County Sheriff’s Department made an arrest relating to this issue. On Thursday, May 11, Tonetta Renee Hill, 32, of Greensboro, was arrested for failure to send her child to school.
The state law in Alabama not only outlines procedures for school boards and juvenile courts to follow when a student is chronically absent but also allows for the levying of misdemeanor charges. These charges can include a fine of up to $100 and a sentence of up to 90 days.
The law states: “Any parent, guardian, or other person having control or custody of any child enrolled in public school who fails to require the child to regularly attend the school or tutor, or fails to compel the child to properly conduct himself or herself as a pupil in accordance with the written policy on school behavior adopted by the local board of education… shall be reported by the principal to the superintendent of education of the school system in which the suspected violation occurred.”
The superintendent of education or their designee is then required to report suspected violations to the district attorney within 10 days. Any principal or superintendent of education or their designee intentionally failing to report a suspected violation is subject to a Class C misdemeanor. The law further emphasizes that the district attorney must “vigorously enforce” this section to ensure proper conduct and required attendance by any child enrolled in public school.
