West MI Mom Gets Jail Time for Not Sending Her Son to School

A Muskegon County woman was sentenced to two days in jail for not sending her son to school, otherwise known as truancy.

MLive reports that 30-year-old Sherry Lynn McFail was just given the sentence on March 27th, although this issue stems back to 2010. At the time McFail failed to enroll her then 7-year-old son in school and over the course of the next few years, he had multiple absences and tardies.

The Oakridge School District had notified the mother about her son's unexcused absences and tardies but after it continued to happen, the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office eventually got involved.

In January 2014, officials with the prosecutor's office met with McFail and she signed a contract agreeing to send her child to school to avoid criminal charges...

A truancy charge was filed later that year against her when she lied to the prosecutor's office about having her son enrolled in a Florida school. She pleaded guilty to the charge in 2015 and her sentencing was set for the following year to give her time to make good, however, she missed her court date which circles back to present day. Basically, McFail kept going back on her word which resulted in her jail sentence.

Operation Graduation was launched in 2013 by Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson to hold parents (and older students) accountable for this very thing. You can learn more about it here.

Bottom line: just because a parent may be a dumbass, doesn't mean a child should become one too. Send your kids to school!