Texas honor student jailed for missing too much school

[Teh One Who Knocks]

CBS Atlanta


http://i.imgur.com/O58Fb.jpg

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX (CBS ATLANTA) -

An honor student in Texas was thrown in jail after she missed too many classes at her high school.

A judge issued Diane Tran, 17, a summons Wednesday for her excessive truancy after she missed class. She was arrested in open court.

Last month, Tran was issued a warning by the judge for missing school.

Tran said she works both full-time and part-time jobs, in addition to taking advanced and college level courses.

But the judge said Tran's case was bigger than the individual situation of one student.

"If you let one run loose, what are you gonna' do with the rest of 'em?," said Judge Lanny Moriarty. "Let them go too? A little stay in the jail for one night is not a death sentence."

But Tran's classmates said she had a lot more to juggle than the average teen.

"She goes from job to job from school. She stays up until 7 a.m. in the morning doing her homework," said Devin Hill, a classmate and co-worker.

On top of that, Tran said her parents spilt up and moved away, leaving her to support her younger sister.

The judge admitted that he wanted to make an example of the teen.

Tran had to spend 24 hours in jail and had to pay a $100 fine.

[Acid Trip]

"If you let one run loose, what are you gonna' do with the rest of 'em?," said Judge Lanny Moriarty. "Let them go too? A little stay in the jail for one night is not a death sentence."

As you can see students are not individuals. They are wilds pack of dogs that must be controlled.

[MrsM]

This judge is an idiot :facepalm:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

what an ass

[Godfather]

Holy shit that's just brutal....

[Loser]

My freshman and sophomore year in high school, I ditched enough days to wipe out a complete school year. 183 days total. Maintained a 3.9 gpa.

They wanted to expel me. :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Fox News


A Louisiana group has raised more than $70,000 for a 17-year-old Texas honor student jailed for missing too much school because she worked two jobs to support her siblings.

Diane Tran, an 11th-grade honor student at Willis High School near Houston, was sent to jail for 24 hours last week by Judge Lanny Moriarty and ordered to pay a $100 fine for excessive truancy.

It's unclear how many days Tran missed, but state law reportedly permits only 10 absences in a six-month period.

Tran, who works full-time at a dry-cleaning business and part-time for a wedding planner, has been supporting her brother and sister since her parents separated and her mother moved away.

Houston Councilman Al Hoang and others have roundly criticized the judge, saying he should have used some discretion in the honor student's case.

"I’m going to ask the judge to expunge the record," Hoang told FoxNews.com. "The truancy laws should be applied case by case, and in this case it should not be applied. I believe Judge Moriarty should have used his discretionary power to excuse her from this matter."

Since the girl's story went viral, hundreds of people have rallied to raise money for the teen, including one group, Louisiana Children's Education Alliance, which said Wednesday it had raised more than $70,000 for Tran.

The group, which created a website called HelpDianeTran.com, has received donations from 47 states and 13 foreign countries for the girl.

"I think this story of a student who's obviously working so hard and is being taken advantage of by the system just touches your heart strings and it affects a lot of people," the group's president, Charlie Davis, said Wednesday in an interview with Fox News.

"I think Diane unfortunately is at the center of two failed systems in America -- our public education system and our judicial system," he said.

Davis said he hopes Tran uses the money for her family and for her college education. "The rest of the world is on her side," he said.

Tran, who is considered an adult under Texas state law, was issued a summons on May 23 for truancy after she missed classes. She was arrested in open court and ordered to spend 24 hours at the Montgomery County Jail for truancy, which is considered a misdemeanor. The ruling came after the teenager was issued a warning by a judge last month about her absences.

Judge Moriarty told KHOU 11 News that he intended to make an example of Tran by placing her in jail.

"If you let one run loose, what are you going to do with the rest of them? Let them go, too?" Moriarty told the station.

Houston defense attorney Ned Barnett, however, called the ruling shocking and said the girl likely spent the night surrounded by "every type of criminal that exists."

"It doesn’t take much discretion to have sympathy for Miss Tran," Barnett said. "To lock her up is just outrageous."

[Acid Trip]

$70,000 in donations? Not bad. Now she won't have to work until she's a couple years deep in college.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Good outcome to lunacy

[Hal-9000]

My freshman and sophomore year in high school, I ditched enough days to wipe out a complete school year. 183 days total. Maintained a 3.9 gpa.

They wanted to expel me. :lol:

I went to two high schools...reason? That exact same thing...

I held an 86% overall average and the English teacher/vice principle called a meeting for me and my parents. He says - hal has missed over 1 third of the semester and we don't know how he manages his high grades. My Dad responds - Are you saying he cheated? VP says - In my class, his average was in the high 90's...it would be impossible for him to achieve the high grade without being present...

I cut him off and said - Your class is an advanced essay writing course based on books that have been read. Are you trying to say that I copied someone's work in front of me? Wouldn't that be apparent to the teacher..which is you? Multiple copies of the same essay? And for the record I had already read half of the books offered in your class before they were assigned....on my own!

I was pissed and we left the school, never to return...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I just checked the website, it's over $95K now

[Hal-9000]

full time job, part time job and daily school.....I could not manage that schedule

[minz]

What a huge amount of pressure to place on the shoulders of a 17 year old student, it's hard enough to support kids without studying as well, poor girl, the Judge is an arse.

[Hal-9000]

what an ass...

"A little stay in the jail for one night is not a death sentence."


No, it only goes on your personal record for life...

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Not if shes a minor, she can have her files locked once she's an adult.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

full time job, part time job and daily school.....I could not manage that schedule

Plus taking care of her brother and sister all the while keeping good grades. I never could do all that, I'd go insane.

[Hal-9000]

Not if shes a minor, she can have her files locked once she's an adult.

That's a load of BS (up here anyway) They tell us the same thing yet when we have criminal record checks done on potential employees, we get to see all of their juvie misdeeds :lol:

One guy had been working with us for two years, we changed some rules, sent him down and his sheet read - Trafficking LSD :lol:

He had got caught selling 5 hits to his friends when he was 16...


Bossman didn't like that one bit

[minz]

Lance and Hal are both right, I worked part time and studied full time as a single parent with three small children and that was demanding enough, I have a huge amount of respect for what she was doing.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

That's a load of BS (up here anyway) They tell us the same thing yet when we have criminal record checks done on potential employees, we get to see all of their juvie misdeeds :lol:

One guy had been working with us for two years, we changed some rules, sent him down and his sheet read - Trafficking LSD :lol:

He had got caught selling 5 hits to his friends when he was 16...


Bossman didn't like that one bit

It doesnt happen when you turn 18, you have to go have it done.....I did it, my records clean :dance:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Lance and Hal are both right, I worked part time and studied full time as a single parent with three small children and that was demanding enough, I have a huge amount of respect for what she was doing.

I had school, a part-time job, and took care of my brother and that was bad enough. I can't even imagine having an additional full-time job, plus an extra kid to worry about on top of it.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

That's a load of BS (up here anyway) They tell us the same thing yet when we have criminal record checks done on potential employees, we get to see all of their juvie misdeeds :lol:

One guy had been working with us for two years, we changed some rules, sent him down and his sheet read - Trafficking LSD :lol:

He had got caught selling 5 hits to his friends when he was 16...


Bossman didn't like that one bit


It doesnt happen when you turn 18, you have to go have it done.....I did it, my records clean :dance:

I believe in the story it mentioned that some lawyer was gonna petition the court on her behalf to get her record expunged.

[Acid Trip]

full time job, part time job and daily school.....I could not manage that schedule

It's not that bad. I worked two jobs (one full time and one part time) when I was in college and during graduate school.

No students loans was more appealing to me than taking a ride down easy street.

[Hal-9000]

I must be lazy....one full time job is more than enough for me per day :oops:

[minz]

I must be lazy....one full time job is more than enough for me per day :oops:

You're not lazy, if you were faced with a similar set of circumstances you would do what you had to do to get by.

[Hal-9000]

You're not lazy, if you were faced with a similar set of circumstances you would do what you had to do to get by.

nawww I just sold off my 6 kids to Joe's Black Market Adoption Agency. I got 200 bucks for the smart one :face:

[minz]

nawww I just sold off my 6 kids to Joe's Black Market Adoption Agency. I got 200 bucks for the smart one :face:

Selling your kids I can just about believe, but a smart one... now I know your bull shitting. :hand:


:lol:

[Hal-9000]

good one :lol:


you bitch

[minz]

good one :lol:


you bitch

:rofl:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Selling your kids I can just about believe, but a smart one... now I know your bull shitting. :hand:


:lol:

Hahahahah :burn:

[deebakes]

http://i.imgur.com/6KrjB.png

[KevinD]

Okay, I gotta ask....At 17, no parents or other "guardians" Where is CPS when they might actually be able to do some good for once?