I disagree. It's not about her ignoring her obligation for doing her schoolwork, it's about her not following the court's order.
Law may be harsh and fair in the same time. Being ordered to do her homework was a weak sanction, she ignored it, so she needs a stronger stimulus. So law isn't dumb, it's just consistent.
You should read the article. In short, she didn't actually ignore the court's order to meet her academic obligations.
A law could be harsh, but fair, sure. However, an excessively harsh law is not fair, nor is an inconsistently-enforced one. This situation ticks both of those boxes.
> Being ordered to do her homework was a weak sanction, she ignored it, so she needs a stronger stimulus.
This simple-minded, old-fashioned line of thinking is out of touch with contemporary scholarship and a major contributor to the US criminal justice system's inefficacy.