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Thread: Honour student Diane Tran sent to jail for school absence under harsh Texas law

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    Senior Member galvatron's Avatar
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    Default Honour student Diane Tran sent to jail for school absence under harsh Texas law

    Honour student Diane Tran sent to jail for school absence under harsh Texas law

    Judge throws teen in jail for school absence
    Works two jobs and studies all night - is exhausted
    Will now have a criminal record after conviction

    $this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2012/05/28/1226369/371147-news.jpg')
    A US honour student has been jailed for missing too much school in a heartbreaking case that has raised questions over US truancy laws.

    Diane Tran, 17, spent a night in a jail cell and was fined $100 because of a Texan law that makes it a crime to miss more than ten days of school in a six month period, reported Local TV network KHOU-11.

    However, Diane is not the stereotypical truant one would expect in such a case.

    She's a promising student who studies college-level algebra, dual-credit history and English. She also has a very good reason for the absences - she works two jobs and supports herself and helps provide for a younger sister and brother after her parents divorced and moved away.

    "I always thought our family was happy," said Diane.

    Sometimes she says she is just too exhausted from working and studying all night that she is unable to get up and go to school.


    "She goes from job to job from school," classmate, Devin Hill, told KHOU-11. "She stays up until 7am in the morning doing her homework."

    However, an unsympathetic judge claimed if one student was allowed to avoid jail then they would all "run loose" and said "a little stay in the jail for one night is not a death sentence".

    Despite pleas for leniency given Diane's situation, the judge has yet to decide whether or not to revoke the sentence which would leave her with a criminal record.

    A petition at change.org and a helpdianetran.com website has appeared after news of the year 11 student's plight spread online.

    http://www.news.com.au/world/honour-...#ixzz1wFO87BBz

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eJrKi0jKao

    What kind of law is this?

  2. #2
    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Yes, it's quite stupid.

    She should get a good attorney and take this all the way to the Supreme Court.

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    Moderator kidd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Cheng View Post
    Yes, it's quite stupid.

    She should get a good attorney and take this all the way to the Supreme Court.
    She works 2 jobs to support herself and her younger siblings. How can she afford a good attorney?
    什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟

    和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩

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    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidd View Post
    She works 2 jobs to support herself and her younger siblings. How can she afford a good attorney?
    Some good lawyers will take on cases like this pro bono for the good publicity or even, in rare cases, just to see justice done.

    Moreover, now that this case has received publicity, I imagine quite a few people would be willing to donate to her cause.

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    hopefully, the aftermath is good - school helps in financial aid and she can go back to school regularly.

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    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Apparently, the judge has decided to drop all charges against the girl. The public outrage forced his hand.

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    Senior Member ByTmE's Avatar
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    Thank goodness!
    I like me.

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