just when you thought the government wasn't governing too much:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,249358,00.html

AUSTIN, Texas — Parents beware: Miss a meeting with your child's teacher and it could cost you a $500 fine and a criminal record.

A Republican state lawmaker from Baytown has filed a bill that would charge parents of public school students with a misdemeanor and fine them for playing hooky from a scheduled parent-teacher conference.

Rep. Wayne Smith said Wednesday he wants to get parents involved in their child's education.

"I think it helps the kids for the parents and teachers to communicate. That's all the intent was," Smith said.

Kathy Carlson, a fifth-grade teacher at Furneaux Elementary School in Carrollton, said she's had a handful of parents who skip meetings with teachers, but she winced at the idea of charging them.

"I don't know if we need to call it criminal. I would rather see accountability brought a different way, rather than fines or punishments," Carlson said.

"On the whole, parents want what's best for their kids," she said. "Sometimes I think they think we're out to get them. When you're talking about fining and pressing criminal charges, it kind of reflects that attitude."

Carlson said she used to teach at a school in Irving with many children of illegal immigrants.

"They were afraid to come to parent-teacher conferences because they were almost afraid of the authority" of the school district, she said.

Under Smith's bill, schools would send parents a notice for a meeting with three proposed dates by certified mail. Parents who don't respond or who schedule a meeting and don't show up without notice could be punished.

Parents could avoid prosecution if they have a "reasonable excuse" for not showing up. State education officials or local school districts would probably be responsible for defining reasonable.

Fines collected would go to the district for teacher pay raises or to buy supplies.

Smith's bill on the missed meetings would seem to face long odds to becoming law. Rep. Rob Eissler, a Republican from The Woodlands who chairs the House Public Education Committee, has said he's concerned about how it would be enforced.

Austin parent Mary Christine Reed has children in third and seventh grades and is involved in her parent-teacher association. She said she knows of some problems teachers have had, but as a parent, wonders if a steep fine or criminal charge would make them worse.

"If the idea is to create communication, to send them into the criminal justice system ... is going to do nothing but have a negative impact," Reed said. "It would make parents more scared of the school."

If 35 mph in a 40 mph zone costs me around $150, then I'm all for this.

That's pretty much a shitty idea. Hope it gets shot down

You can't make people give a shit about their kids, but I'd imagine that those who contribute monetarily to their children's education tend to be more active participants in it.

just to make sure i'm clear, this rule is going to help education along by giving deadbeat parents another reason to be angry at their kids?

I actually like this idea. if you dont have the time to give a shit about your kid you should probably be steralized.

come on people, sometimes you have to enact a little fascism.

this is not going to do anything.

I like this idea a lot. Parents do need to be involved in their kids' educations. Period. As for working parents, it could be tough, but adjusting the law to make the fine payable by the employer in those situations should take care of that right quick.

You'd be amazed at how difficult it is to get a parent to come in and have a meeting about their kid.

Parent-teacher conferences end up with about a 5-10% attendance rate, if that. And the parents who do attend are the ones you don't need to see. They just come to hear about how great lil Bobby is.

I don't really agree with this, but it is pretty sad how many parents expect US to raise their kids for them. Of course, our hands are being tied more and more with each passing day, yet we are expected to do more for their kids with each passing year.

If you guys could see some of the things NCLB expects us to do, you'd laugh your asses off. It's literally impossible.

My mom would be owing a lot right now

Why are they even allowed to go to public schools in the first place. If I was a teacher I would try to lure the parents to a conference so I could call the police and get them fucking arrested.

I would have loved to read the rest of the article about that ridiculous proposition, but throw in something about illegal immigrants and I get so upset I can't think about anything else.

Fucking bullshit.

The fine is a bit excessive but it isn't all that bad of an idea

I think people should be fined for missing appointments in general.