17 year old Texas student jailed for missing school while supporting siblings.

[D23MIURG23]

"Diane Tran, a 17-year-old honor student in Texas, was forced to spend the night in jail last week after missing too many classes, KHOU-11's Sherry Williams reports.

The Willis High School junior, who helps support two siblings, has both a full time and part-time job. She said that she's often too tired to go to school.

"She goes from job to job from school," Devin Hill, one of Tran's classmates, told KHOU-11. "She stays up until 7:00 in the morning doing her homework."

(snip)

After being warned by a judge in April about missing too much school, Tran was arrested in court on Wednesday and required to spend the night in jail, according to the above video from KHOU-11. She has also been fined $100."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/27/diane-tran-honors-student-jailed-texas-high-school-truancy_n_1549160.html

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You can help her at Change.org by signing a petition to have her sentence cancelled.

http://www.change.org/petitions/honor-student-jailed-for-missing-school-ask-the-judge-to-cancel-her-fine-and-sentencing

Also, if anyone has the resources to set something up to help her with her financial struggle, I would totally donate.

Any other suggestions are also welcome.

[Are_grits_groceries]

1. Some ways to support Tran:

Hey, gang -- here's the judge's fax number (use the one for his Willis, TX office)

http://www.mctx.org/courts/justices_of_the_peace/justice_of_the_peace_pct_1/index.html

Also, here's the e-mail for the Administrative Assistant to Mr. Bret Jimerson, Superintendent of the Willis ISD -- e-mail: [e-mail]

Also, here's a phone number for the Superintendent's office, in case you want to call in support of Diane Tran -- [phone].
(from commentor on HuffPo)

[silverweb]

2. There is a donation site set up.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]It's at the very end of the "About this Petition" paragraphs:

Note: If you'd like to donate money to her cause you can go to helpdianetran.com.

[D23MIURG23]

6. Thanks for pointing that out, I missed it earlier.

[silverweb]

7. It might also have been added later.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]In any case, I hope it generates substantial help for this brave young woman.

Thanks for your OP bringing her to our attention.

[D23MIURG23]

11. My pleasure.

Also, it looks like the donation sight has raised about $35,000 so that seems like an auspicious sign.

[silverweb]

14. Wonderful!!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Now let's hope the judge finds himself formally censured and penalized soon.

[sabrina 1]

3. That's outrageous. Jail, the cure for everything in the Land of the Free.

Can't believe this could happen here. That judge should be thrown off the bench. If he is elected someone should start a campaign against him.

My sentence for him would be to:

1) Send him back to school to study the meaning of the word 'democracy' .

2) He would have to take over Diane's two jobs and give the money to her.

3) He would be assigned the job of taking care of Diane's two siblings until she finishes school.

This seems like a better solution to allow her to be able to get school.

[EFerrari]

4. This judge has had some ethics problems.

http://montgomerytx.countymonitor.com/files/2009/05/tec_moriarty_reso.pdf

[DCKit]

5. Those "pro-life" Republics never fail to amaze. nt

[pacalo]

13. Really. Truth is, their slogan should be Pro-MakingLivesMiserable.

Putting an honor student in jail for missing school due to family hardship is really helping her situation.

[sarcasmo]

8. USA! USA! USA!

[Beaverhausen]

9. "Her parents are divorced and don't live near her." What does that even mean?

Where are they and why aren't they supporting their own children?

[progressoid]

10. Throw her fucking parents in jail!

[renate]

12. I bet, and hope, that this ends up being the best thing that could have happened to her

Universities should be falling over themselves to offer this young woman scholarships. She sounds amazing!