By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEBANON - Warren County students and their parents may soon have to answer to more than school officials if they skip class, the county prosecutor warned Thursday.

After a meeting last month with the superintendents of the county's seven public school districts, Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel said her office will help school officials cut down on student truancy.

"We want to make sure kids are in school and we want parents to know it is their responsibility," Hutzel said.

Bill Sears, superintendent of the 4,800-student Lebanon school system, said he and other Warren County school leaders were glad to hear that the county courts were renewing their commitment to keeping kids in schools.

"We all applauded it," Sears said of Hutzel's initiative.

While truancy in Lebanon schools has not worsened in recent years, Sears said there is a year-to-year core of chronically truant students.

"We have a lot of kids - and parents - who need a slight nudge by involving the courts," Sears said.

Hutzel said the Warren County Juvenile Court last school year received more than 1,300 truancy referrals from school systems in the county.

Sears said under the new county prosecutor's efforts, once a student has five unexcused absences on five consecutive days, or seven or more a month or 12 or more a school year, the students and their parents will be ordered to meet with school and juvenile court officials.

Students could then face probation, lose their drivers license and spend time in the juvenile detention center. Parents of such students could also face charges.

Ginny Jackson, pupil personnel director for Mason Schools, said: "I think parents listen and know that we are together on this message."

WCPO-TV contributed to this report. E-mail mclark@enquirer.com