Provo city delays vote on truancy ordinance

PROVO — A controversial proposed truancy ordinance is on hold after public outcry prompted Mayor John Curtis to pen a letter saying the issue needs further discussion.

"As the ordinance has been circulated among various stakeholders in our community, the response from the public has raised a number of important concerns that are clearly important to the residents of Provo," Curtis wrote.

#curtis_quote

He said the proposal reflects effective daytime curfew ordinances being used nationwide, but will not work as currently drafted. In light of that, he said he will withdraw his request to have the Provo City Council vote on the ordinance, which was tentatively scheduled for Tuesday night.

The ordinance came at the request of the Provo Gang Task Force and, as currently drafted, would authorize police to issue citations to youths ages 6 to 17 found to be truant. The offense would be punishable as a class B misdemeanor.

Facebook User Comment

"The government needs to get the heck out of our private lives!! I'm sick of more laws that criminalize families. Let the schools handle the truancy. Our government needs to remember that we are supposed to be the "Land of the Free." Our lawmakers and police have some real job security when they make everything a law or a crime." -- Jenny Wickham Nelson
Comment on Facebook

Proponents of the action call it a crime-prevention tool that will help discourage gang involvement. Opponents say it's reminiscent of Nazi-era Germany and will make children, or even young-looking college freshmen, feel like criminals for being in public on days when school is in session.

Bill Duncan, director of the Center for Family and Society at the conservative public policy-oriented Sutherland Institute, said their two greatest concerns were that the current draft of the ordinance could lead to the detention of harmless individuals, like college students and young families, and created a presumption of guilt.

But Curtis said that even though the current draft has sparked controversy, the issue of truancy must still be addressed.

"Just because a solution may not be acceptable to the community, we also believe that the recent substantial increase in serious truancy is a problem that is not acceptable in Provo," Curtis wrote.

#allen_quote

Officials with the Provo School District have reported that the number of truancy cases being referred from the district to juvenile court has nearly doubled over the past five years.

Duncan called the mayor's decision to table the ordinance as-is an "excellent idea."

"We certainly appreciate what they're trying to accomplish in responding to crime, we just think the ordinance that had been proposed had unintended consequences," he said. "We think it's wise to go back to study it out and find a more targeted solution."

Gove Allen, who organized a protest for Tuesday in anticipation of the City Council's meeting, said they will go forward as planned.

"The mayor has issued the letter, but it does not change the fact that this is on the agenda," he said. "We will express our gratitude to the mayor, but we still have concerns about the ideas behind this."

He said those in the community who oppose the ordinance remain concerned that another version of this ordinance will appear again in the future.

"We're not sure if this is a political ploy, if the mayor said, 'It'll fail now, let's put it back on when the public's not watching,'" Allen said. "We're not accusing the mayor of that, but we don't know what's going on."

Curtis proposed that a community task force be organized, made up of those with an interest in the issue such as the parents of children who are home-schooled and charter school representatives. He said a community open house will he held and he called on residents with concerns and ideas to submit them.

"We want to commend all involved for the approach taken thus far," Curtis wrote. "But it is clear more work remains to be done."

E-mail: emorgan@desnews.com

Related topics