Texas judge 'puzzles' truants and parents

DALLAS, April 8 (UPI) -- A Texas judge says the jigsaw-puzzle sentences he hands down in truancy cases are designed to get parents and kids talking.

Judge John Sholden requires truants and their parents assemble a 1,000-piece puzzle in lieu of a $500 per day fine, but with the restriction that no pieces can be put together unless both parent and teenager are present.

Sholden told the Dallas Morning News that the project amounts to quality family time that can work out problems at home and school. They also can leave wayward students with a better attitude toward school.

"So many kids don't think they can accomplish anything, so they don't go to school," the judge said. "When you open a puzzle up, it's a mess. But you get it in your head that you can solve the problem. Once student have a sense of accomplishment, it transfers to accomplishment at school also."

The Morning News said Wednesday that the requirement has drawn complaints from some parents; however others see it as a clever way to bring them closer to their kids.