Pacific Standard November-December 2013 Cover  The Strange and
Possibly Illegal World of Truancy Court   Ralph Hedley: The
Truant's Log, 1899. (PAINTING: PUBLIC DOMAIN) 623 Flares 623
Flares ×   The enforcement of the state's truancy laws, which
were strengthened substantially in 2003, have led to a range of
abuses, according to a complaint filed with the U.S. Department
of Justice:   • The students who are hauled into court to face
truancy or lateness charges are not provided with legal counsel.
The only lawyers in the courtroom are the judge and a member of
the district attorney's office, unless the student's family can
afford their own representation.   The complaint, filed by a
coalition of advocacy groups for young people and the disabled,
targets the Dallas, Garland, Mesquite, and Richardson school
districts in Texas and urges the Justice Department to force
reforms and "declare the practice of criminally prosecuting
children as adults for truancy" a violation of their
constitutional rights.     "The Da