On
Tuesday, October 8, the Douglas County Board passed a resolution supporting the
repeal of the section of LB 800 that, in 2010, made 20 days of absence from
school a crime. The board’s resolution
also supports repeal of the amendments (LB 463 and LB 933) that were passed in
an attempt to fix the original law, and recommends replacement with a law that
addresses actual truancy, defined as absence from school without the knowledge
or permission of a parent or guardian.
This
is an enormous step forward in the Nebraska Family Forum’s efforts to rid
Nebraska of a law that has hurt many families across the state, and caused
thousands of innocent children to become entangled with the juvenile justice
system.
The
passage of this resolution is a powerful statement by the elected officials of
the most populous county in Nebraska, a majority of whom recognize that our
“excessive absenteeism” law is, quite simply, a bad law. Our county board can now put the weight of
their resources, including the county lobbyist, behind the efforts to repeal our
state’s “truancy” law – the law that was never about truancy at all.
Thank
you to all of the parents who testified passionately about the harm the law has
done over the past three years: Willie
Hamilton (community activist, radio talk show host and founder/president of
Black Men United), Vaughn Crowell, Gina Miller, Katie Burton, Laura McCormick,
Melanie Williams-Smotherman and Jesamari Hernandez (Heartland Workers Center),
who prepared a wonderful testimony on behalf of the Latino community, but had
to leave the long meeting before having the opportunity to speak.
Thank
you to all the county commissioners for listening to their constituents and for
their thoughtful comments and questions about this issue. The resolution passed 4-1, with Mary Ann
Borgeson, Mike Boyle, Pam Tusa and Clare Duda voting to support repeal, Marc
Kraft voting against, P.J. Morgan absent, and Chris Rodgers abstaining.
Most
of all, a huge thank you to the Chair of the County Board, Mary Ann Borgeson,
who has been an outspoken opponent of the excessive absenteeism law from the
very beginning. Mary Ann placed this
resolution on the County Board’s agenda, and yesterday she spoke eloquently and
passionately about her belief that the law must be repealed for the sake of
Nebraska’s families. I have never met an
elected official who is such a steadfast, unwavering advocate for children,
families, and justice, even in the face of disagreement and political
pressure. Thank you Mary Ann, for
standing up for Nebraska’s families!
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