California Middle Schooler Misses 90 Minutes of Zoom Class; Threatened with Jail

Mark Mastrov says he received a letter from his 12-year-old sons middle school in San Francisco saying that because the student has missed 90 minutes worth of online class he could face jail time or other punishments. Mastrov also said that several other parents have received similar letters.

“Out of the blue, we got this letter. It said my son had missed classes, and at the bottom it referenced a state law which said truants can go to jail for missing 90 minutes of class. I called the school and said, ‘Hey, I want to clear this up.’”

Mastrov said his son denies ever missing the class and that if he was marked absent it was probably because he logged in a couple minutes late.

A new law was passed in California over the summer to crack down on truant students. Betsy Balmat is the principle of Stanley Middle School; she said she had no choice but to send the letter. She said, “The letter is part of our responsibility to the state for our student attendance review boards. As always, the schools have a responsibility to ensure students are engaged and learning.”

The letter the parents received said that if a student doesn’t have a valid excise for missing they class they could be arrested as well as face mandatory make-up classes, fines, or even a jail sentence. “The pupil may be subject to arrest under Education Code Section 48264.”

Mastrov wondered who passed the law, why, and how someone could think that this made sense and would be helpful to the student.

The Daily Wire reported:

Earlier this year, a group of California parents sued the state and Newsom over restrictions on in-person learning.

“Governor Gavin Newsom has set a dangerous precedent when he ordered that local school districts should not have the freedom to decide what’s best for their community when it comes to school openings. How is it that one man thinks he knows what’s best for more than 40 million people?” Erica Sephton, who has a daughter about to enter kindergarten, said at the time.

Sources: The Daily Wire, ABC7 Los Angeles; Photo-Mercury News