In this heartrending case, 17-year-old Diane Tran told the judge she was working two jobs in order to support herself and help provide for her younger brother and sister after her parents had divorced and moved away.
Far from your average truant, star student Diane shows academic promise studying college-level algebra, dual-credit history and English.
Unsurprisingly she sometimes finds she’s just too tired for school, but under Texan law any student skipping classes for more than 10 days in a six month period faces jail time and a fine.
“She goes from job to job from school,” fellow classmate, Devin Hill, told local TV network KHOU-11.
“She stays up until 7am in the morning doing her homework.”
However, the Texan judge has showed little sympathy.
He said that no matter the circumstance, if one student was allowed to avoid jail they would all “run loose”, adding, “a little stay in jail for one night is not a death sentence”.
He is yet to decide whether to revoke the sentence that would leave Diane with a criminal record.
News of Diane’s plight has spread online, with a petition at change.org and a helpdianetran.com.
Image via YouTube
