Understanding Truancy Procedures
Understanding Truancy Procedures
What is the law regarding Truancy?
According to Kentucky law (KRS 159.150), students are considered habitually truant on the sixth (6) unexcused event, which includes both being absent or tardy.
How many parent notes are allowed?
Students may submit a signed note from their parent/guardian to excuse an absence/tardy. Students may use up to two (2) of these notes per semester, for a total of four (4) per school year. NOTE—once a student enters the court system, it is at the discretion of the court as to whether parent excuses will be allowed.
What about student illness after the four parent notes have been used?
Any absence beyond the four (4) events due to illness must be verified by a doctor's statement in order to be considered excused. Once a student reaches ten (10) doctor excuses, they must obtain and fill out a new excuse form. This Medical Excuse form will then be required from each event on.
Will the school excuse my parent notes in all cases?
Not necessarily. The principal of each school must read the excuse and has the authority to say whether it should be excused or not.
What is the actual definition of truancy?
Any student who has attained the age of six (6), but has not reached his/her eighteenth (18th) birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) days or more, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) days or more, is a truant.
Any student enrolled in a public school who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years, but has not reached his/her twenty-first (21st) birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) or more days, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) or more days, is a truant.
Any student who has been reported as a truant two (2) or more times is an habitual truant.
For the purposes of establishing a student's status as a truant, a student’s attendance record is cumulative for an entire school year. When students transfer from one Kentucky district to another, attendance information from the previous district shall become part of their official attendance record for that year.
Do suspensions count as unexcused?
Yes. According to the law, suspensions do count as unexcused absences and can contribute to a student’s truancy.
What are Allen County's procedures for dealing with truancy?
Depending on the school you may receive a phone call from the students’ teacher after 2 consecutive unexcused events.
After 3 unexcused events you will receive a truancy letter from the school.
After 6 unexcused events, the school will send a second truancy letter home to parents from the school. The DPP will also conduct a home visit and Final Notice will be served.
After 7 unexcused events, students and/or parents can be turned over to the court system. (Students 18 and over can be turned over to the county attorney or withdrawn from school. Students in grades 7-12 who have yet turned 18 years of age will be turned over to the Court Designated Worker. Students in grades 6 and under—the parents will be charged with Intentional Breach of School Attendance in district court.)
What if I am not home when a home visit attempt is made?
The final notice will be taped to a door at the home, left via door hanger, or mailed via certified mail.
What happens if a student continues to miss more days unexcused after the final notice has been given?
Once the final notice has been given, the parent/guardian and the student should work together to ensure no more unexcused absences. If the student continues to miss, the student and parent will be turned over to court officials. If a child is in grade 6 or below, the parents will be charged in district court.
What does the Court Designated Worker (CDW) do?
The Court Designated worker’s job, as it relates to truancy, is to process the Habitual Truancy complaint and handle it according to statewide criteria. A state criterion determines if a juvenile is eligible for informal processing (diversion) or if the juvenile must go to formal court. If the juvenile is eligible for diversion, they will work directly with the Court Designated Worker for a period of no more than 6 months. The terms of the diversion are agreed upon by the CDW and the juvenile during the Diversion Conference. If a juvenile enters into a diversion agreement and violates those terms of that agreement, the complaint can be forwarded to Juvenile Court for formal processing. *The Mission of Court Designated Workers: To reduce delinquency among Kentucky’s youth through a collaboration of statewide pre-court services and programs that promote education and accountability.