DA Deberry: Durham never had a separate truancy court; favors school‑based problem‑solving approach

District Attorney Deberry told commissioners Durham has never operated a separate “truancy court,” noting truancy matters historically went to delinquency or abuse, neglect and dependency dockets. She said a prior automated letter that bore the DA’s signature was legally incorrect and she asked the superintendent to send the letter under the superintendent’s name instead.

Deberry said she was uncomfortable prosecuting parents for attendance and that, in practice, most school attendance problems did not make it to court. “When I became district attorney… I reviewed that letter. The letter was not correct on the law, and also I did not feel comfortable having an automated letter under my signature that was, 1, not correct on the law, and, 2, threatened the prosecution to families,” Deberry said. She told the board her office would prefer to support school‑based problem‑solving courts that avoid criminal jeopardy for parents while providing accountability and a forum for families to engage.

Commissioners said they want a multi‑agency, data‑driven response. Commissioner Jacobs pressed for trend data on truancy and juvenile crime and urged the county, schools and courts to revive past partnerships (mediation/settlement centers and school‑justice roundtables) to bring families and community partners together. Several commissioners emphasized upstream investments in interventions rather than increased criminal charges for families.

The county manager said staff will coordinate a follow‑up that includes Durham Public Schools and other partners, and commissioners asked for benchmarking on how neighboring counties approach school attendance and related referrals.