Truants beware. The law enforcement community in San Mateo County, including police in Atherton and Menlo Park, are looking for you.
A six-week effort began recently to step up enforcement of truancy laws. The goal: to find truant students, get them back in class, and work with them and their families to raise their awareness of school’s importance and the availability of assistance, said Sgt. Joseph Sheridan, the school resources officer at the county Sheriff’s Office.
“If they’re not in school, they’re not going to learn. Our goal is to get them into school,” Sgt. Sheridan said in a phone interview.
When they’re out wandering the streets, kids can make “poor decisions,” including getting mixed up with gangs, he added. “I don’t want them getting into trouble.”
If students need counseling, they will get it, he said. If they’re being bullied in school and actually feel safer on the street, that, too, will be addressed.
Repeat offenders can be sent to juvenile traffic court, where they could be fined and have their driving privileges affected, Sgt. Sheridan said.
“One of the main goals of the program is to keep juveniles in school to increase their chances for academic success, with the final outcome being a high school diploma,” Menlo Park Police Department spokesperson Nicole Acker said.
For more information, send an e-mail message to Menlo Park police Officer Mary Ferguson at mnferguson@menlopark.org or call 330-6300.
