Throwing the Book at Students Who Ditch Class in Monrovia : Ordinance: Kids found skipping school can now be fined, ordered to perform community service or have their driver’s license suspended. The truancy policy has drawn statewide interest.

Monrovia isn’t a place to be caught skipping school. Here, truants picked up by police can be hauled into Juvenile Court, where they may face a fine of $135 or long hours of community service.

In the hope of keeping kids in class and off the streets during school hours, the City Council passed an ordinance last September allowing police to cite students 12 to 17 years old who are caught unsupervised from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

If ticketed, the student must appear with a parent or legal guardian in Juvenile Traffic Court. Failure to appear will result in an arrest warrant, and if the truant is a driver, suspension of the driver’s license.

“I think this will deter kids from ditching class and prevent them from engaging in crime,” said Louise Taylor, superintendent of the Monrovia Unified School District.

Since September, 1994, 26 students have appeared in court. All have opted to work off their fine through 27 hours of community service, doing everything from removing graffiti to filing books in the public library, said Bill Couch, police youth services officer.

Students who fail to follow through can lose their driver’s licenses. Kids younger than 16 can lose the privilege of applying for a license.

“This service is designed to make students accountable for their own actions,” Couch said. “We’re targeting those students who are on the edge of delinquency.”

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All school districts have a system in place to deal with truants, but it often takes months for a student to be disciplined. The Monrovia law, one of the first of its kind in the state, is attracting attention from other cities, according to Couch, who said officials from across the state have been calling for information and advice.

“We’re looking at Monrovia’s program, and if it is something we think will work, we will start it out as a pilot project in East Los Angeles,” said Robert Alaniz, spokesman for county Supervisor Gloria Molina.

Alaniz said Molina has been working closely with parents and the district attorney on problems affecting student attendance.

The Monrovia Unified School District estimates that 20 to 25 of its 5,700 students skip school each day. In the past, truants who were caught by officers were simply returned to school, where they were subject to detention and possible suspension--which kept them out of school that much longer.

Although enforcing the law will mean more work for Monrovia police, it does not cost the city any extra money. The program uses existing resources, and because the state pays schools money when students are in class, the district saves money, Taylor said.

The ordinance also contains a provision allowing the police department to bill parents for police hours when more than one hour is needed to detain an arrested youth. The school district, which sent a letter to parents informing them of the new law, has received no complaints so far, Taylor said.

“If anything, we’ve received calls of thanks from parents, who often don’t know that their children are cutting class,” he said.