When students don’t attend school regularly, they are at risk of dropping out of school.  Their chances of becoming involved with the juvenile and criminal justice systems also increase.

Truancy affects everyone.  Students do not develop the skills to be successful in school and life.  School districts face possible funding losses and the juvenile justice system experiences increased costs.

Senate Bill 181, adopted Sept. 2,2000, creates stricter attendance rules and new expectations for school districts, juvenile courts, families and local agencies.  Students charged with truant offenses will be required, along with their parents, to appear in Court. 

The new truancy law provides more tools for school districts to use when working with students, parents, and staff to ensure students attend school regularly.

Any person having knowledge of a habitually or chronically truant child may file a sworn complaint with the juvenile court.

The Juvenile Court now has exclusive, original jurisdiction concerning parents and guardians of truant, unruly or delinquent youth.  The Juvenile Court will preside over all criminal cases where a parent is charged with “parental education neglect.”

Senate Bill 181- may require youth who are repeatedly truant to:
1. Attend an alternative school;
2. Participate in a drug abuse or alcohol program; and
3. Participate in a community service program;
4. Receive appropriate medical or psychological treatment or counseling.
Parents/guardians may be ordered to participate in a truancy prevention and mediation program, pay fines up to $500, or perform up to 70 hours of community service.  In extreme cases, parents may pay higher fines or serve jail time.

Senate Bill 181 – requires each Board of Education to adopt a policy, which guides school district employees through the process of addressing habitually truant students.

The Truancy Policy, which is mandated by Senate Bill 181, outlines the interventions to be used by the schools.  Those interventions include requesting or requiring students and parent(s) or guardians to attend a truancy intervention program; counseling; notifying the Bureau of Motor Vehicles of the student’s absences; filing a complaint with the Juvenile Court; and assigning discipline consequences such as requiring students to an alternative school and/ or program.

Attendance officers and other district staff will continue to file complaints in Juvenile Court when student fail to attend school. 

Your district will continue to inform parents and guardians regarding the legal consequences each may face when their children fail to attend school.

Habitual Truant is a school-aged child who is absent without a legitimate excuse for five or more consecutive days in one month, or 12 or more school days in one school year.

Chronic Truant is a school-aged child who is absent without a legitimate excuse for seven or more consecutive days, ten or more school days in one month, or 15 or more school days in one school year.

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