Newsom Repeals Harris-Era Truancy Law Targeting Parents

California repealed a 2011 law that made parents of chronically absent students eligible for misdemeanor charges, a policy championed during Kamala Harris’s tenure as San Francisco DA and later state AG. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, AB 461 ends punitive measures that critics said criminalized families rather than addressing root causes of absenteeism. The old statute defined “chronic truant” as missing 10% of school days, and high-profile arrests of parents fueled backlash, resurfacing in the 2020 presidential race. Bill author Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens framed the repeal as student-centered and informed by lived experience, not political score-settling. The shift aligns with a growing emphasis on supportive interventions—transportation, mental health, tutoring—over criminal penalties, especially as districts confront post-pandemic attendance challenges. Repeal advocates say resources should target barriers to access, not punish households already under strain.

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Source: BET