Welsh Government plans to issue fixed fines of up to £120 to parents of children who regularly skip school should be used as a last resort, according Assembly Member Mohammad Asghar.
Last month Education Minister Leighton Andrews said fines would be introduced from September 1 this year.
But South Wales East Conservative AM Mohammad Asghar said the measure should only be used once all other avenues to tackle truant pupils had been exhausted.
He said: “There is an obvious clear link between poor attendance at school and low levels of educational achievement.”
“We must tackle the problem of unauthorised absences, especially in primary schools as this will lead to a reduction in persistent absence at secondary school level.
“However, some persistent truants may come from disadvantaged families who are struggling to pay their household bills and cannot afford to pay fines of up to £120 as planned by the Welsh Labour Government.
“These families need support and it is important therefore that the Education Minister’s policy of issuing fixed penalties for parents of persistent truants will be used as a last resort and only after all other methods of tackling truancy have been exhausted.”
Under the proposals local authorities would be responsible for handing out the fines.
The proposed cost of a fixed penalty notice would be £60 if paid within 28 days rising to £120 if paid after 28 but within 42 days. If the penalty was not paid in full by the end of the 42 day period the local authority would have to either prosecute for the offence or withdraw the notice.
Local authorities would be able to implement a ‘code of conduct’ for pupils who truant.
The National Union of Teachers in Wales has expressed disappointment at the policy.