OH - Man Serves Jail Time For Daughter's Failure To Get GED

[White Rain]

This is absolutely unbelievable to me.

An Ohio man is getting a lesson of a lifetime when he was jailed because his daughter failed her General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
Brian Gegner is serving 180 days for contributing to the delinquency of a minor by not following a court order requiring Gegner stay on top of his daughter's education, WCPO TV reports.
To add insult to injury, his daughter, Brittany is now an adult.
The problems began when Gegner's daughter Brittany regularly skipped high school classes 2 years ago, the channel reported.
Gegner had custody of his daughter at the time and was in charge of her education.
more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354990,00.html

 

[IrishMist]

This kind of thing scares the carp out of me!! Thanks for posting it, WR.

 

[JBean]

Some interesting background info from a comment section. I am wondering why the girl didn't get her GED? The judge told them in advance that if she didn't get her GED the father would go to jail. But the girl still didn't get it done.

>>
Brittany had truancy problems while she was 17 years old. June 2007, her father was told he would go to jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor if Brittany did not return to school in the Fall. Brittany turned 18 yrs old in August, that Fall. She returned to juvenile court, although she was now 18, on August 29th. The court then ordered Brian to take Brittany out of school, and told Brittany to get her GED before the next court date or her father would go to jail. So at that point, her father's pending incarceration was in her hands. We all know what happened next. Jailed.
The only way he can get out early is IF his adult daughter *chooses* to obtain her GED, and if she can pass the test. It is her option. If she decides not to pursue the GED, he will remain in jail for six months unless the Judge shows leniency.
No one is disputing the fact that errors in parenting judgement were made at points during his daughter's teen years. But the punishment the Judge handed down for these errors is extreme. Think about it. This man has never spent a day in jail, and now he's incarcerated for 6 months. SIX MONTHS. There was no consideration to have him pay fines, probation, community service, etc. What will happen to his home and the job he has held for 15 years? What about his wife and other teenage daughter, (who happens to be thriving in school)?
If your child was ordered to get his GED, and the order was placed after he was 18 yrs old, a single working parent, and living in his own home, how would you go about making sure he obtained it?<<

http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2008/05/in-man-gets-6-m.html

 

[Trino]

I think it's time for the ACLU to get involved. I would say HIS rights were violated.

 

[pixies]

People get less than 6 months for raping a child!
This is crazy!

He should have been on top of his kids education, sure but I think the GIRL should be doing the time, if someone has to go to jail.

 

[Taximom]

From the first link:
Brittany, who is now 18, admitted that she would skip school while she stayed with her mother. She has since taken the GED exam and passed all but the math portion, which she has failed several times.
Brittany told WCPO that her father shouldn't be punished for her problems. Now Judge David Niehaus is giving her a chance to make the grade. If she passes the test, her father may be released before his sentence is up, it is reported.

PUT THE MOM IN JAIL. :doh:

 

[JBean]

From the first link:
Brittany, who is now 18, admitted that she would skip school while she stayed with her mother. She has since taken the GED exam and passed all but the math portion, which she has failed several times.
Brittany told WCPO that her father shouldn't be punished for her problems. Now Judge David Niehaus is giving her a chance to make the grade. If she passes the test, her father may be released before his sentence is up, it is reported.

PUT THE MOM IN JAIL. :doh:

But when the dad took her the judge told both the daughter and the father if she didn't get it done, he would go to jail.This was not surprise.
She should have just gotten it done. I think the judge is pretty smart. She is getting it done now to help her father because she cares more about him than she does about herself. It's working!

 

[Salem]

I agree Taximom - how unfair. The girl skips school when she is staying with her mother, but dad goes to jail. And the judge probably ORDERED her to have time at her mom's.

My son always tells his kids - they skip school and he finds out, he will escort them to school for the rest of the school year, even if he has to get a night job to do it LOL.

Well, let's hope this girl can get a tutor and pass the math portion so the guy can get out.

I think this is crazy. I want parents to be held responsible for their children and I think the parent should have to do whatever punishment the girl would have gotten. I have never heard of any teenager doing 6 months in jail for truancy.

Salem

 

[txsvicki]

No parent should ever be sentenced to jail for something like this going on with a child over age 17. I fully expect to go to jail within the next 3-4 years due to my very disturbed grandson who will most likely refuse to attend school one day. I feel sorry for people who have to work and be paid hourly. They can't attend school all day and neither can disabled parents or grandparents.

 

[ckhagen]

This is absurd!
Since when is it required that someone graduate from highschool? I realize that this was initially about truancy, but it's not about that anymore.

 

[JBean]

Ohio Truancy Law

ETA:Juvenile cases often run long enough that the juvenile reaches a major age. It doesn't affect the original charge. So her current age doesn't really have any bearing on anything.

 

[MCDRAW]

Some interesting background info from a comment section. I am wondering why the girl didn't get her GED? The judge told them in advance that if she didn't get her GED the father would go to jail. But the girl still didn't get it done.

>>
Brittany had truancy problems while she was 17 years old. June 2007, her father was told he would go to jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor if Brittany did not return to school in the Fall. Brittany turned 18 yrs old in August, that Fall. She returned to juvenile court, although she was now 18, on August 29th. The court then ordered Brian to take Brittany out of school, and told Brittany to get her GED before the next court date or her father would go to jail. So at that point, her father's pending incarceration was in her hands. We all know what happened next. Jailed.
The only way he can get out early is IF his adult daughter *chooses* to obtain her GED, and if she can pass the test. It is her option. If she decides not to pursue the GED, he will remain in jail for six months unless the Judge shows leniency.
No one is disputing the fact that errors in parenting judgement were made at points during his daughter's teen years. But the punishment the Judge handed down for these errors is extreme. Think about it. This man has never spent a day in jail, and now he's incarcerated for 6 months. SIX MONTHS. There was no consideration to have him pay fines, probation, community service, etc. What will happen to his home and the job he has held for 15 years? What about his wife and other teenage daughter, (who happens to be thriving in school)?
If your child was ordered to get his GED, and the order was placed after he was 18 yrs old, a single working parent, and living in his own home, how would you go about making sure he obtained it?<<

http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2008/05/in-man-gets-6-m.html

I think the Judge should have ordered her to get her GED or SHE would go to jail. Then she might have gotten it. She is old enough to be responsible for her own education. I think this is whats wrong with our society today. The Children have no accountability. Parents are punished for the childrens behaviors. What a perfect way to get back at their parents.

 

[MCDRAW]

I agree Taximom - how unfair. The girl skips school when she is staying with her mother, but dad goes to jail. And the judge probably ORDERED her to have time at her mom's.

My son always tells his kids - they skip school and he finds out, he will escort them to school for the rest of the school year, even if he has to get a night job to do it LOL.

Well, let's hope this girl can get a tutor and pass the math portion so the guy can get out.

I think this is crazy. I want parents to be held responsible for their children and I think the parent should have to do whatever punishment the girl would have gotten. I have never heard of any teenager doing 6 months in jail for truancy.

Salem

I know someone that escorted their child to school because he kept skipping. The boy then entered the school and went out the back way.

 

[JBean]

I think the Judge should have ordered her to get her GED or SHE would go to jail. Then she might have gotten it. She is old enough to be responsible for her own education. I think this is whats wrong with our society today. The Children have no accountability. Parents are punished for the childrens behaviors. What a perfect way to get back at their parents.

I am just saying that parents are legally responsible. I truly don't care one way or the other about this case, I am just stating the law as it is. In my area parents are legally repsonsible for their minor children's wrongdoing or damage. Sounds like Ohio is the same way.

 

[JBean]

No parent should ever be sentenced to jail for something like this going on with a child over age 17. I fully expect to go to jail within the next 3-4 years due to my very disturbed grandson who will most likely refuse to attend school one day. I feel sorry for people who have to work and be paid hourly. They can't attend school all day and neither can disabled parents or grandparents.

I am so sorry you may have to face that. Perhaps you can be proactive to protect yourselves? I don't know what the answer is.
IN this case,the law is what it is.
>>Ohiolaw defines truancy as an absence from school without permission. The truancy laws apply to students between ages six and eighteen<<

We have a new driving law here in Cali. I have a new driver and if he has an unauthorized passenger in the car and there is any kind of accident and the passenger is hurt (and it does not have to be the new driver's fault) , the new driver's parents are 100% accountable and responsible for that person. It is *indefensible* I am told by the driving school. The unauthorized passenger's family can sue me for everything.

 

[JBean]

Compulsory school attendance laws by state:

http://www.schoolengagement.org/TruancypreventionRegistry/Admin/Resources/Resources/15.pdf

 

[lorelei]

This judge is just ridiculous.
This girl has been back in school for four months! She just apparently isn't capable of passing the math test yet though, so he put the father in jail.

Also, she wasn't even living with him at the time she was truant, she was living with her mother. He was the legal guardian though, so technically it does make sense that he's the one to be punished but this is just crazy. The jail sentence is based on the fact that she didn't get her GED past the age of 18- he legally has no control over her at this age. Thats not really my main issue though. My problem is that the girl has TAKEN the GED and is back in school, she just keeps failing the math portion. Does the judge want the dad to take the test for her?

 

[StealthTheory]

This is crazy. I was a horrible teenager and my parents had no way to control me and still work to pay for the roof over our heads and clothing on our backs and food in our stomachs. I'm so glad now I never got my own parents in trouble, but I can't say for sure that back then I would have cared.

 

[Taximom]

They will lock up parents here (Ohio) if there's a truancy problem, and I think if they break curfew too! I'm so thankful my oldest was not a problem, and hope the next 3 are the same way! Some parents were on the news and I kind of felt sorry for them because their teens seemed out of control. Single parents that have to work... Then there are the parents that could care less, of course.

 

[Boyz_Mum]

I don't think putting the father in jail solves the problem. If he forced his daughter physically to go to school or accompanied her to every class, chances are he would have been charged with something then too! Kind of damned if you do or damned if you don't?