AREA CITIES TO WEIGH FINE FOR TRUANT PUPILS.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Area students who decide to skip school could face a judge, a fine and their parents under ordinances being considered by four cities along the Ventura Freeway corridor.

The Calabasas City Council will vote on an ordinance at its Wednesday meeting and the Westlake Village council will consider one by the end of November. The cities of Hidden Hills and Agoura Hills are also considering the new policy, which would give Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies authority to cite children who are supposed to be in school.

``Right now, schools have some control, but their recourses are limited,'' said Lt. Mike Ford. ``This gives us the option of taking the matter from the school to Juvenile Court. It helps us with juvenile crime.''

Usually, authorities will return students to school when they are caught skipping class, said Las Virgenes Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Donald Zimring. Then, the schools give students in-house suspension, he said.

The movement toward harsher punishment for truants began when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a policy earlier this year that said students could be cited for skipping school.

The law only covers unincorporated areas, however, so school districts and law enforcement agencies have been encouraging cities to follow the supervisors' policy.

Westlake Village City Councilwoman Kris Carraway said a consistent law for neighboring cities will help authorities with enforcement.

``It's very critical that other cities have the same policy,'' Carraway said. ``That way we'll have a unified front.''

Under the ordinances being considered, a student who is cited would have to appear before a Juvenile Court judge, who could issue a fine or require community service, Ford said.

If the new laws pass, the district would provide identification cards to students so that deputies would know what school they attend, Zimring said.

``It's not a real severe problem in our district, but it will help ID kids who are supposed to be in school,'' Zimring said. ``The ordinances acknowledge lunchtime - the high schools have open campus then. We're talking about honest-to-God school time.''

Deputies would have the option of citing students found out of class, taking into consideration the circumstances, Ford said.

If deputies decide the student deserves a citation, the student must appear before a judge with his or her parents, Ford said.

``Our main focus is on criminal matters,'' Ford said. ``If we see someone who we know is a problem individual, it gives us the tools to address the problem.''

On the other hand, if a student does not usually skip class and has good attendance, a judge may give a more lenient punishment, Ford said.

``If parents want to cooperate and the student has a good school record, volunteer service could get it off the record,'' Ford said.