A Georgia mother is facing legal trouble because her son missed too many days of school.
Julie Giles, mother of 10-year-old Sam Giles, was shocked to receive a letter in the mail earlier this month stating that there was a warrant out for her arrest. She was even more shocked to discover it was because her son had 12 unexcused absences at his Screven County district school in Sylvania, according to the New York Daily News.
The letter, which called out only her and not her husband Keith, claimed that Sam Giles, a fourth grader, missed 12 days of school, which is twice the allowed limit. Julie Giles said that three of those absences now have doctor's notes explaining why her son missed class.
After turning herself in, Julie Giles told Steve Doocy of Fox News that the police followed a rather peculiar procedure, which included shackles.
"I was not fingerprinted, but I was shackled and they took my mug shot, which will be in our local newspaper," she said in a televised interview with Doocy.
Julie Giles took to Facebook to explain that on the days her son was sick and didn't have a written excuse as to why, it was because she doesn't always make her son see a medical professional due to how expensive a visit can be.
"The truth is, l cannot afford a copay every single time they are sick, but I never want to send them to school when they feel bad or could possibly get others sick," Giles wrote on her Facebook on May 12. "I have NEVER been in trouble before in my life and the boys are beside themselves."
Just days after she had her mugshot taken and was sent home from jail, Julie's son Sam received a "Student of the Month" award, she said.
Screven County School District Superintendent William Bland told WTOC.com it is "not unusual" for parents to be convicted for "not being able to work out a solution with school officials."
"It's important for these children to be in school and I think the courts recognize that," said Bland.
Julie Giles has to appear in court on July 14. In the interview with Doocy, she said her family plans on leaving Sylvania.
"I do not believe that after this that my children will be treated fairly in this school system, so we're going to move," she said."
