PARENTS were told they came close to being jailed for letting their children dodge school in Derby.
They were put on probation for a year and each fined £50 with £110 costs when they appeared before Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court.
The pair admitted failing to ensure the regular school attendance of three primary school children between the Christmas holidays and Easter. Each adult had been in court twice before for similar offences.
District Judge Morris Cooper said: "If you continue, you will find yourself back here again being sentenced to prison. But because there has been a positive attendance since, I will deal with the offences in a more lenient way."
Penny Scothern, for Derby City Council, said the children attended between 56% and 77% of the time.
Four messages were left at the parents' home but they failed to respond to any of them. However since Easter, attendance had improved.
Mark Salt, in mitigation, said they had welcomed earlier action by magistrates, who imposed an order to help them become better parents.
But they were "a little disappointed because there was not a great deal of involvement" by the authorities.
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