General Discussion

Further details on the mechanics and procedures involved in the truancy initiative can be found here, but the key point is that the purpose of the program was not to criminally prosecute or jail parents of truant children. In fact, such an outcome would mean the program had failed. Its purpose was to use the threat of prosecution to “bring parents to the table” and initiate a series of steps that (crucially) involved providing services and resources to parents and did indeed have the effect of lowering the rate of truancy in San Francisco.