A Georgia mother was arrested because her 10-year-old son had three unexcused absences over the school district limit.
Earlier this month, Julie Giles received a warrant for her arrest because her fourth-grade son Samuel had missed 12 days of school due to being sick. The Screven County school district only allows six days of unexcused absences. Of the remainder, the mother only obtained a doctor’s note for three, which means she was arrested over the final three missed days.
“The truth is l cannot afford a copay every single time they are sick, but I never want to send them to school when they feel bad or could possibly get others sick,” Giles wrote on Facebook. “I have NEVER been in trouble before in my life and the boys are beside themselves.”
According to Giles, Samuel gets high grades despite missing class because of illness. On May 15, he was even presented with a prize for being “Student of the Month.”
When the mother was arrested, she was placed in ankle shackles, which is a standard procedure, according to Screven County Sheriff Mike Kile. Oddly, her husband Keith, who is Samuel’s father, was not arrested.
Giles is now due in court on July 14. She faces a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 12 months in jail.
This isn’t the first time a parent has been arrested over unexcused absences. Screven County Schools superintendent William Bland told WTOC that “several” parents in a similar situation have already been convicted.
“It's important for these children to be in school and I think the courts recognize that,” Bland said.
As a result of this incident, Giles told Fox News that she plans to relocate her family. “I do not believe that after this that my children will be treated fairly in this school system," she said, "so we're going to move."
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