Chicago Public Schools Will Call Child Services if You’re Late To Pick Up Your Kids From School

A Chicago mom who was late to pick up her children from school a few times last year got a nasty surprise: a letter informing her she was under investigation by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). While this may seem like an overreaction, parents can come under government scrutiny for minor mistakes—and it can be the result of draconian school policies.

Last September, Tresa Razaaq, a single mother of four, received a letter from the Illinois DCFS after she was late to pick up two of her children from school several times. While Razaaq freely admits she was late to pick up her children, it wasn’t a common occurrence—on Tuesday, she told Chicago’s NBC 5 that she was late “maybe four times.” However, this didn’t stop her children’s school from involving the DCFS, which sent her a letter informing her that she was being investigated for child neglect.

“My daughter rushed to the car and she’s like, ‘mommy DCFS came to the school, and the lady made it sound like we weren’t going to come home with you today,'” Razaaq told NBC 5.

The investigation started because Chicago Public Schools has a strict “stranded student” policy, which requires school administrators to contact DCFS if the child has not been picked up by 4:30 p.m. and a parent or guardian does not pick up after two phone calls.

“It’s more than aggressive, it’s harmful,” Cathy Dale, a local school council representative, told NBC 5.

Parents can be investigated by child protective services for late school pickups—often because school policy requires it. In Washington, D.C., for example, the public school handbook requires that school employees call the D.C. Child and