Parents Protest Youth Curfew; Council Split

A proposal to impose a daytime youth curfew as a means of controlling truancy drew protests from parents and divided the City Council, but members agreed to continue studying the issue.

Under the measure, being promoted by the Orange County Chiefs of Police and School Superintendents associations, students 6 to 18 years old could be cited if they are in “any public place, street, or in any abandoned or vacant building” between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. without an excuse from school.

Fines for students caught playing hooky would range from $100 for a first offense to $250 for a third offense unless the child performs 20-hours of community service.

Parents also could be cited if they knowingly allowed a child to skip school. They would face the same fines and might have to attend parenting classes and perform community service.

The ordinance also would set a nighttime curfew requiring youths to be off the street by 10 p.m.

The council voted 3 to 2 Monday night to ask Police Chief Richard M. Tefank to modify the ordinance and reintroduce it at a workshop next month.

A range of exceptions would be allowed for students with legitimate appointments or for school holidays, but several parents said they were horrified at the prospect of students having to carry “papers.”