Source: Radio New Zealand
Associate Education Minister David Seymour RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
More parents could be prosecuted for not sending their children to school, as the Ministry of Education confirms it is investigating 16 cases of chronic absence.
RNZ revealed on Tuesday one parent was being taken to court for not ensuring their child attended school.
It was part of the truancy crackdown heralded by Associate Education Minister David Seymour, who last year promised the government would use “coercive power” against parents condoning truancy.
Since the ministry’s prosecutions unit was set up last year, it had been formally notified of 34 non-attendance cases, including the one before court.
Of those, 17 were resolved before a prosecution had to be taken, showing the threat was working and parents were re-enrolling their children, Seymour said.
The Ministry of Education has now confirmed the other 16 cases were “under active investigation”.
“Cases at this stage are typically complex, and the Ministry continues to progress them while focusing on resolving attendance issues and supporting students back into school,” said its operational standards and support general manager Helen Hurst.
Seymour could not comment on the case before the court, but said on Tuesday the parents involved did not attend the hearing, so it had been rescheduled.
Parents could be fined up to $300 for a first offence and $3000 for a second or subsequent offence.
The ministry did not prosecute parents who were genuinely engaging with the school, or those whose children were absent because of chronic illness or health conditions associated with a disability.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
