Michigan Bill Would Punish School-Skippers Where It Hurts: Behind The Wheel

A student could lose a driver's license over truancy

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Michigan lawmakers are considering legislation that would revoke a student’s driver’s license for missing too much school.

The legislation, introduced last week by Democratic state Rep. Andy Schor, would require judges to flag the secretary of state in truancy cases, the Associated Press reports. The secretary of state would then suspend licenses of minors found by a circuit court to be willfully absent from school for six months or more. Truant students who haven’t obtained a license yet would be denied one.

“Driving is a privilege, and there is no bigger incentive to most teens than being able to drive,” Schor said.

Michigan’s licenses are issued through a staged process, where new drivers gain privileges with age and experience. The state requires students to be in school until age 18.

[AP]