Jail Time Eyed for Parents Who Blow Off Teacher Conferences

Faced with rising crime rates involving minors, a Detroit prosecutor has proposed putting some muscle into those parent-teacher conferences that are supposed to involve parents in their child's education. Parents would be required to make the once-yearly meetings; proposed penalties for repeated no-shows could include up to three days in jail.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy unveiled the plan after the recent conviction of 12-year old Demarco Harris for killing a woman during a robbery. When police contacted his parents at 2am, she told the AP, they had no knowledge of his whereabouts. "We're trying to prevent any more Demarco Harrises from going down that road," she said. The plan has no shortage of skeptics who note that it may infringe on a parent's civil rights. Read the full article. (More Detroit stories.)