Truant daughter lands parents in court

A repeatedly truant child has landed her parents in court. Photo / Thinkstock

A couple charged with failing to enrol their child at school say they have done everything they can to get her there but she refuses to go.

The couple have appeared in Rotorua District Court and admitted the charge but their lawyer says problems getting their daughter to school started when she was 11 or 12.

Maria Young and Kerry Ngatai appeared before Community Magistrate Robyn Paterson and pleaded guilty to a charge laid under the Education Act 1989 of failing to enrol their daughter in school between November 21, 2010, and April 19, 2011.

Appearing on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Rob Quinn said the couple's daughter was enrolled at Rotorua Girls' High School between February 15, 2010, and September 7, 2010, during which time she was absent without excuse on numerous occasions.

She was removed from the school roll in September 2010 for continually being absent.

The school tried unsuccessfully to get the girl back to school.

On October 26, 2010, the ministry was informed the girl had been removed from the roll.

Between October 26, 2010, and July 29 last year a ministry adviser attempted to work with the student and her parents but was unsuccessful.

In October last year the ministry wrote to Young and Ngatai advising them of their obligations regarding enrolment of their daughter and warned them they could be prosecuted but no reply was received.

The couple's daughter, who is 15, has not been enrolled at a school since September 7, 2010.

The maximum penalty for failing to enrol a child at school is a $3000 fine.

Duty solicitor Kathy Jackson appeared on behalf of the couple and told the court their daughter was the youngest of four children and the couple also had the care of a grandson.

Young and Ngatai had done everything they possibly could to get their daughter to school and worked with the police and Child, Youth and Family.

"She just won't got to school ... She will stay half an hour and run away. It's an extremely unfortunate situation."

Ms Young told the court her daughter had been taken to school by a police officer at her request as well as by another woman.

Mrs Paterson accepted the couple had done everything they could to get their daughter to attend school.

She convicted and discharged the couple and ordered them to pay $132 court costs, telling them to get their daughter to do jobs for them as a way of paying the court costs.