At the end of the school day most kids are ready to go home. But many never even made it to class in the first place.

Director of Caddo Juvenile Services Clay Walker says more than 4,600 students in the parish were referred for truancy violations last school year. That means they're not only missing out on valuable class time, but many are also getting into trouble.

"It creates a problem that kind of backlogs," Walker said. "Unfortunately the kids go from truancy to family problems when they're a little older to delinquency. They ultimately end up with the sheriff at CCC and causes a problem for all of us along that spectrum."

So Juvenile Services has formed a coalition with the Caddo Parish School Board and the Caddo Parish District Attorney's office to add some teeth to truancy rules.

The plan holds parents of habitually truant kids more accountable. Parents can be fined up to $250 dollars and can even serve jail time for non-compliance.

"If your child is chronically truant and you get a court notice and don't come to deal with it, there will be a lot more problems for you this year."