TRUANCY

A student who is absent from school without a valid excuse 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 and shall be reported to the attendance office or superintendent of the public school district.

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

A student who has been reported once as a truant and who is absent again from school one or more days, or is tardy on one or more days, without a valid excuse, should be reported again as a truant to the attendance office of the local public school district. A student who has been reported as a 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 should be notified.