The purpose of this Chapter is to protect the health, safety and welfare of both the community and unsupervised truants and to address those problems minors create when they loiter in public places during school hours. Because of their lack of maturity and experience, unsupervised students may involve themselves in unsafe activities by loitering; some unsupervised students may engage in criminal activity to the detriment of the community; and some unsupervised students may become a burden on police who must return them to school, wait for parents to pick them up, and/or investigate any and all criminal activity related to the students’ truancy. Truant minors also lose educational opportunities and their unexcused absences result in a loss of State and Federal funding to the detriment of all students. As a result, therefore, the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Bernardino finds and determines that a special need exists for the adoption of a juvenile loitering ordinance.
(Ord. 3653, passed - -1996)