Md. Bill Would Put GPS Devices on Truant Students

WASHINGTON -- Kids in Prince George's County might want to think twice before skipping school.

Lawmakers in the county are proposing that children who skip school be fitted with a GPS tracking devices.

Maryland Delegate Doyle Niemann (D-Prince George's Co.) says it's not enough to simply hold parents accountable when their children don't show up for school.

"They're not in control of their children. They take them to school, the kid walks in the front door and then out the back door. It doesn't make any sense to continue to beat on the parents," he says.

Niemann says electronic monitoring would be the last step, reserved only for repeating offenders.

He says truants might also be ordered to attend counseling or take remedial courses.

"It's a serious problem with a large number of children who are out of school," he says.

The bill, HB 506, is currently pending on the floor of the Maryland House of Delegates.

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