LOS ANGELES – Criminal charges have been filed against 13 parents of Los Angeles kids who routinely skip school.

Each parent is charged with misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor and violating the California education code mandating full-time school.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo says truants often wind up in street gangs and parents have a moral and a legal obligation to keep their kids in school.

One of the most egregious cases involves Marne Perez, whose 12-year-old daughter missed 63 full days and 66 partial days at Fulton Middle School.