Wall Street Journalさんのインスタグラム写真 - (Wall Street JournalInstagram)「Missouri parents can be jailed if their children don’t attend school regularly. The problem, according to a court filing in a case now before Missouri’s Supreme Court: “Nobody has a clue what ‘regularly’ means.”⁠ ⁠ The litigation involves two mothers, each with a young child who missed about 15 days of class at Lebanon R-III School District in the 2021-22 school year. The mothers called in to explain some of the absences—ear infection, bad cough, a doctor’s appointment an hour away—but both were referred to prosecutors and sentenced to jail.⁠ ⁠ Tamarae LaRue, one of the mothers whose case is being heard by the Supreme Court, said she began having panic attacks, afraid she would be penalized if she was late dropping off her four sons at different schools in Lebanon, Mo.⁠ ⁠ “I was busting my tail trying to make sure they had all the proof they need—all the doctor’s notes they need—calling them while at the eye doctor,” LaRue, 32 years old, said of the southwestern Missouri school district. She ended up serving 15 days in jail.⁠ ⁠ Officials with the school district of 4,500 students said they should maintain an attendance rate of at least 90%, an expectation set out in school handbooks. When students don’t, their parents are contacted through letters, phone calls and in-person visits, and referred to prosecutors if attendance doesn’t improve.⁠ ⁠ No state law says students must attend 90% of the time. Missouri’s statute requires “regular” attendance, a standard the mothers’ lawyers said is unconstitutionally vague and gives school officials and other local authorities wide discretion to choose which parents to charge.⁠ ⁠ Between the start of 2018 and June 2023, nearly 600 charges were filed for violations of Missouri’s compulsory-education law, according to state data. ⁠ ⁠ Read more at the link in our bio.⁠ ⁠ 📷: @neeta.satam for @wsjphotos」7月9日 0時00分