GARY, Ind. (AP) – The Gary City Court is starting a new program aimed at reducing school truancy, with the parents of some 150 students expected to face hearings on city ordinance citations for parental neglect.
 
Those who plead guilty can avoid paying a fine by joining the court's Project Rebuild program, which offers counseling, tutoring and support programs to strengthen the families and improve students' school attendance and performance.

Gary police Cmdr. Kerry Rice tells the Post-Tribune that organizers want to provide ways to rectify the truancy problems.
 
Judge Inga Lewis-Shannon says many truancy situations are difficult to solve as educators and others hear all kinds of reasons. Some, though can be fixed as having a volunteer beautician fix the hair of a girl who had been teased by other children.