In an update on the September 11 Harris County
Commissioner's Court meeting in Houston, Sarah
Singleton reports that County Judge Ed Emmett was
very supportive of the Houston home school
community. It was his office that originally brought the
issue of the proposed daytime curfew to the home
schoolers' attention.
Only Commissioner Sylvia Garcia spoke against the
recommendation by the Juvenile Curfew Review
Committee, which was not in favor of the curfew.
Commissioner Garcia represents
Precinct 2, or the southeastern portion of Harris
County.
(about Hwy 45 to Hwy 90, but including parts of 45 to
59 just north of 610).
Commissioner Garcia was very comfortable being the
only commissioner voting against the committee
recommendation. She felt a daytime curfew is a 'good
tool' for crime prevention, stating that if the DA and
superintendents recommended an expansion to a
daytime curfew would be helpful...then Harris County
should agree with that recommendation. She further
declared, "It's not about liberties," and claimed it is
about crime prevention and affirmed that not including
a daytime curfew was a "real mistake." She asked the
county attorney to find out what the time frame for the
vote on the curfew would be, in hopes of delaying it.
She had hoped for further study, but Commissioner
Eversole and County Judge Ed Emmett were very
supportive and not in favor of expanding to a daytime
curfew. The daytime curfew was defeated by a 4 to 1
vote.
We appreciate Judge Emmett and Commissioner
Eversole for their stand against the daytime curfew in
the Houston area.
