Students left school considered truants

Jennings Co. Schools

On Tuesday September 17, 2019, the North Vernon Police Department detained and charged a group of high students that left the Jennings County High School without first gaining permission from staff and having a parent or guardian sign them out.

The event began with a small group of students staging a small demonstration inside the school. The students then moved their group to the side walk just outside of the building. The police department was asked to intervene when students began leaving the school grounds without first gaining permission from school staff and having a proper parent or guardian’s permission per school policy.

Nine students were located, detained and brought to the police department by officers following the small gathering leaving school property. The students were charged and released to a parent or guardian at the police department. It was determined that all nine of the students had not received proper permission to leave the school by school staff and had not been signed out by a parent or guardian per school policy.

Under Indiana Statute IC 20-33-2-23 law enforcement officers may take children into custody during normal school hours if the child is found in a public place.