A Carson City mother was given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty Monday to misdemeanor charges that she failed to prevent her 11-year-old daughter's truancy.
Nancy Anne Winn, 42, will serve a six-month suspended sentence through a deal with prosecutors who dropped a more serious charge of contributory neglect. If her daughter receives any more unexcused absences, Winn will have to serve the time behind bars.
During the course of the 1998-1999 school year, Winn's daughter was absent 59 times, only 15 of which were excused. She claimed that 48 of those were due to illness, incessant head lice, and the girl's dislike of her new school and teacher.
School officials said they made several attempts to work with Winn before they resorted to the 1967 truancy law used to prosecute her.
The girl, who was forced to repeat her grade because of the absences, is reportedly in perfect attendance scoring A's and B's at her new school.
In another case of alleged neglect, the mother of a 14-year-old girl is awaiting trial on similar charges that she did not prevent her daughter's truancy.
Carson City resident Mari Jo Bailey, 41, pleaded not guilty to three misdemeanors at her justice court arraignment in June.
After her arrest on May 19, Bailey said her daughter had not attended school since January. The case is set to go to trial on Nov. 22. Bailey has three other school-age children.
