For Montgomery County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts, education and keeping kids in school are top priorities. Judge Metts has one of the busiest court dockets in Texas and commonly sees hundreds of truancy cases every month. The court recently summoned over 250 truants to appear on charges of failing to attend school, only about half of which showed up for court. The poor turnout prompted Judge Metts to team with Precinct 4 Constable Rowdy Hayden for a late-night warrant roundup.
The intent of the roundup was to clear up warrants of all types, many of them truancy related. “We arrested several 17, 18, 19-year-old people that were found truant in school that the judge had given specific orders for them to come into compliance,” said Constable Hayden.
“16 are considered a juvenile at the school level, and at 17 they’re considered adults on a fail to attend matters. That’s when they can go to jail,” Judge Metts told 39 News in Houston. “They’ve been here numerous times in the past, and they still refused to do as they agreed to do and as the court ordered them to do.”
For those that show up for court, Judge Metts uses a variety of programs to keep kids engaged and on track to graduate – including the Attendance Improvement Management (AIM) Truancy Reduction and Dropout Prevention program which combines GPS tracking with individualized coaching and mentoring.
“What I think works about (AIM) most is the coaches calling and checking on them – sometimes kids just need a pat on the back,” says Metts.
“Education is extremely important to me,” Metts told myFox Houston, and added that society benefits when kids are in school. “We found that children who were not at school were out burglarizing homes while you and I are up here at work trying to make a living.”
“It’s a team effort here,” Metts said referring to the courts and constables in precinct 4. “We are serious about keeping our kids in school, and we are serious about making it a safe community and a better community to live in.”