INDIANAPOLIS -- Lawrence Township parents whose children don't show up for school will no longer be eligible for township assistance, officials said.

The new policy comes after school officials at John Marshall Community School reported problems with students not showing up for class Monday, officials said.

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Analysis: Capitol WatchBlog

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In a news release Wednesday, Lawrence Township Trustee Mike Hobbs said that he had been contacted by John Marshall Principal Jeffrey White after school began and only half of the students showed up for class.

"Parents need to be held accountable for the actions of their children," Hobbs said in the release. "In this community, where lawlessness is the norm and gangs reign supreme, community leaders must band together to instill a sense of responsibility in children and their parents."

For now, the policy will only affect parents of students at John Marshall because it is the only school in session in that area. Students there went back to class Monday, almost a month earlier than other Indianapolis Public Schools students, since the school is on a corrective action calendar due to low performance.

"It fights the cycle of poverty," White told 6News' Rick Hightower. "We have to have them in school in order to educate them so they won't be victims of becoming impoverished."

The school -- located near 38th Street and Mitthoeffer -- is actually in Warren Township, IPS officials said, but Lawrence Township officials tell 6News many of the students live in Lawrence Township.

When asked if he thought the policy was legal, Hobbs said, "as far as we can tell."