Why Kamala Harris Really Prosecuted Parents of Truant Kids
I was a reporter for the San Francisco Examiner from 2006 to 2009. In 2008 and early 2009, I reported on San Francisco’s public schools, as well as any issues related to kids, families, and the city’s park system. One of the major stories I followed at the time was then-District Attorney Kamala Harris’ prosecution of parents whose children missed a lot of school.
Now that Harris is running for president, people are talking about her approach to truancy in San Francisco public schools again. But over the course of the past 11 years, a lot of the details have been forgotten. I dug through my archives and I’d like to share some of the reporting I did at the time, mostly in the fall and winter of 2008.
I want to be clear that I am not advocating for Harris, nor am I endorsing her. And I’m not passing judgment on prosecuting parents as a way to deal with chronic truancy. But I think it’s valuable to have accurate information out there.
Some key facts:
- Harris’ prosecution of parents was prompted by statistics that show kids with a high rate of truancy go on to become victims of violence — or perpetrators who wind up in the justice system. She wanted to prevent those outcomes, especially given that the most truant kids were often black and brown kids.
