August 15, 2024

When a parent meets Alisha Schoen in court, it is always a last resort. Schoen is a Santa Clara County prosecutor tasked with bringing the parents of habitually truant students to court. At this point, both the school and district have tried and failed to improve a students’ attendance. 

Parents of habitually truant students risk criminal charges under a 2010 law championed by Kamala Harris, then the San Francisco District Attorney.

But most prosecutors, like Schoen, are not interested in getting a conviction and punishing parents. Instead, Schoen said, they want to find out why a student is missing school and what kind of support or government services might actually help improve their attendance.

Guests:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.