Truancy

California Education Code 48260. This law defines a truant as a child who, without a valid excuse, is:

• absent for 3 full days in a single school year,

• tardy 3 times in a year,

• absent 3 times for more than 30 minutes, or

• any combination of the above.

Students can also be chronically truant. California Education Code 48263.6 defines chronic truants as children who have missed 10 percent of the school year or 18 days.

A student who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse or medical appointment three full days in one school year or is tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, is a truant.

In the event that the school suspects that a student is truant (absent from school, without an acceptable excuse), the school administration will contact the parent or guardian. If the school suspects that the student is a habitual truant (absent three times in a school year, without an acceptable excuse) and all resources at the school level have been exhausted, the school principal will notify the local public Child Welfare and Attendance authorities.

A student who has been truant three or more times is considered a habitual truant and is subject to dismissal.

If a student has been absent without excuse, and it is impossible to contact the parent or guardian within 24 hours after repeated attempts, the attendance office of the local public-school district, the local police department, Child Protective Services or all of those agencies will be notified.

Excessive absence or tardiness jeopardizes the students’ academic grades, ability to be promoted to the next grade level (retention) and/or re-registration for the coming school year.