17-year-old Diane Tran, a Texas honor student who was arrested for failure to comply with a probate court judge’s order not to be absent from school has attracted a considerable amount of support and financial assistance from people across the nation and from 13 other countries. Thus far, more than $70,000 has been donated by people who are sympathetic with Ms. Tran’s situation.
This case continues to draw national and international media attention.
Ms. Tran has developed a strong base of support in the United States and abroad. Many people in other countries where truancy is much less of a problem than in the United States are particularly confused by this case. The use of courts to help schools deal with severe societal problems like truancy, smoking, assaults, disorderly conduct, weapons violations and other common and problematic behaviors has drawn criticism in recent years.
School officials have been trying for decades to address major reductions in the authority of school officials combined with many apathetic parents and top performing students like Ms. Tran sometimes get caught up in these efforts.