Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : 87 Truants Picked Up in a Sweep : Education: Parents are dismayed over children’s conduct, but some of those taken in had legitimate excuses.

PALMDALE — Eighty-seven truant high school students were picked up Thursday morning in a sweep by sheriff’s deputies and probation officers across the Antelope Valley.

Authorities said some of them were found at fast-food restaurants, convenience markets and doughnut shops, while others were seen simply strolling near their campuses.

The youngsters were taken to the Palmdale offices of United Community Action Network, where staff members and volunteers summoned parents or other adults to pick them up. While waiting, the young people sat through motivational lectures about the importance of education and the dangers of drug use.

UCAN, a nonprofit organization that offers counseling for troubled teen-agers, is run by retired sheriff’s deputy Billy Pricer, who is also president of the Antelope Valley Union High School District Board of Trustees.

Deputies and probation officers used metal detectors to check the youngsters but found no weapons. Several admitted they had been smoking marijuana, but none possessed illegal drugs when they were picked up, authorities said.

Most parents arriving at the UCAN center appeared to be dismayed over their children’s conduct, but several said they were glad that deputies had conducted the sweep.

“I’m angry at my daughter, but I think it’s a great idea,” said Linda Krumlish of Palmdale, who was called because her child had skipped classes at Highland High School.

Pricer said Thursday’s truancy sweep was the first conducted during this school year. Three were done last year, and one the previous year.

He said the school district, which receives state funding according to its daily attendance, loses money when youngsters skip classes. What’s more, he said, truancy contributes to crime problems.

“The biggest cause of daytime burglaries is kids out of school,” Pricer said.

Dave Rich, director of pupil personnel services for the school district, said a preliminary review showed that 87 of the youngsters picked up Thursday were truants.

He said a few others rounded up in the four-hour sweep had legitimate excuses to be off campus, including outside jobs and sports commitments or were non-students who were not carrying sufficient identification.

Rich said Thursday’s roundup indicated that truancy may be declining. A similar sweep lasting only two hours last year netted 101 youngsters, he said. The decline may be the result of a new policy that says students may be forced to repeat a grade if they miss more than 15 days a year for any reason, Richard said.

The truants picked up on Thursday were about evenly divided between boys and girls. Most were supposed to be attending classes in four high schools: Antelope Valley, Highland, Quartz Hill and Palmdale.

Among the truants was Aymin McGhee, who said he was picked up outside Antelope Valley High while walking home to change his shoelaces, which he said did not comply with the school’s dress regulations.

“It was unfair,” he said. But he added: “It taught me a lesson--not to leave school again.”

At the UCAN office, he was picked up by his brother, Samuel Mears, 20, who said he did not object to the sweep.

“That’s cool,” Mears said. “I like this. When I was at Antelope Valley High, they just used to let us go.”

The truants picked up on Thursday also included 10 students who were on probation for past criminal violations.

Robert Laich, a county probation supervisor who took part in the sweep, said these students may receive a warning or could be placed in a detention center if they have recorded other probation violations.

“I think most of them understand that they should have been in school,” Laich said. “They got caught, and these are the consequences.”