Students told not to ditch for 'Twilight'

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SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- School officials in California's Orange County said students were warned not to ditch school to see the new entry in the "Twilight" film series.

Officials with the individual school districts said students were told they would be marked truant if they were absent without a valid excuse and teachers have been instructing students to wait until the evening to see "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," the latest entry in the film series based on the popular novels for teens, the Orange County Register reported Friday.

"I would think the best time to see the movie is in the evening, so it's a 'bad' idea to miss school," said Mark Eliot, the spokesman at Tustin Unified School District.

Administrators said school districts loses $20 to $40 in state funding for each student absence.