The Gainesville Police Department caught five students skipping class during the first truancy detail of the school year Thursday.
Three GPD officers and several Alachua County school resource officers canvassed Gainesville, hitting popular school-skipping spots like The Oaks Mall, Butler Plaza and neighborhoods in northeast Gainesville.
From 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., officers found five students skipping school, said GPD Lt. Jaret Weiland.
He said four of them were taken to the truancy center at the Interface Youth Program, 1400 NW 29th Road.
When students are taken to the center, they are processed into a system, and schools are notified of their absence, according to Weiland.
One high school-aged student was arrested during the detail for violating his parole — which required him to attend school, Weiland said.
The student’s probation also requires him to obey a curfew and listen to his parents.
