“All we are trying to do is give the children a good education,” he said.

In its lawsuit, the ACLU questioned the success of the court. The civil rights organization says that the graduation rate in the state remained the same from 2003 through 2007, while dropout rates climbed from 4 to 5.8 percent.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday, charged that several Truancy Court judges and the six school systems unfairly punish students who have problems attending school or completing their schoolwork because of special-education or medical needs. The suit also says that the truancy courts threaten at-risk children with fines,imprisonment or removal from their families.

At a news conference to announce the lawsuit, ACLU lawyers were critical of the secrecy surrounding the truancy courts. They said that proceedings are closed to the public and there is no stenographer present to record what transpires in the hearings. As a result, there is no way to review what transpired when a child is disciplined or sent to the state Training School for juvenile offenders.

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