Staff Reports
In a stunning revelation of misguided priorities, Vice President Kamala Harris is back in the news, this time facing backlash for her aggressive truancy enforcement that has led to absurd consequences for innocent families. One particularly egregious case involves Cheree Peoples, a mother whose daughter fell critically ill, yet instead of receiving the understanding she deserved, she found herself in handcuffs thanks to California’s punitive truancy laws, laws that Harris proudly championed while she acted as the state’s attorney general.
California’s truancy laws have been a hotbed for controversy, especially during Harris’s time in office when she decided that punishing parents would somehow remedy the issue of kids missing school. Harris took it upon herself to impose stringent measures complete with criminal repercussions for parents of children who miss school without an excuse. This initiative, rather than helping children, has victimized countless families who are already struggling. Harris once insinuated that parents failing to keep their kids in school should face legal consequences, sharply disregarding the complexities of family situations.
Kamala Harris discussing efforts to prosecute parents for violations of truancy laws.
"I believe a child going without an education is tantamount to a crime. So I decided I was going to start prosecuting parents for truancy." pic.twitter.com/WhrLrUI0Ix
— Jeff Charles, Doni's St. Bernard🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) August 19, 2024
Cheree Peoples’ daughter, Shayla, who endures sickle cell anemia, missed school days for her health needs only to have those absences thrust her mother into the legal system as a criminal. Rather than dynamic support from local school authorities, Peoples was arrested and charged under the very truancy laws Harris had concocted. Instead of being recognized as a loving mother trying to help her sick child, she was treated like a delinquent. The bureaucratic machine zeroed in on her while failing to take her daughter’s medical condition into account.
Despite having a crucial 504 plan in place to facilitate her daughter’s education, which is supposed to ensure students with disabilities receive the necessary support, Cheree’s efforts were brushed aside. Authorities did not inform the District Attorney’s office about Shayla’s condition until it was too late. When the police came knocking, despite her best efforts at communication, Cheree found herself ensnared in a two-and-a-half-year nightmare of legal battles, all while trying to navigate life as a homeless single mother and fight for her daughter’s well-being.
This dire experience has left Cheree Peoples grappling not only with the emotional repercussions of the legal system’s harsh penalties but also with the added anxiety it inflicted on her already suffering child. The stress of the situation proved devastating, leading to tragic consequences for Shayla’s health. As if facing relentless pain wasn’t enough, the looming fear of legal repercussions over a child’s health issue is a trauma no parent should have to endure. The educational system and the legal apparatus failed her at every turn.
While Harris later expressed regret for the heavy handedness of her truancy policies, the damage has been done. Families like Cheree’s have seen firsthand the dark side of Harris’s legal legacy that prioritized punitive measures over compassion and understanding. As she seeks a higher political office, the ramifications of her decisions as attorney general continue to haunt her, illustrating yet again that seemingly well-intentioned policies can lead to devastating real-world consequences for the very families they were meant to help.
