The Dilemna About Truancy

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The U.S. Department of Education describes truancy as the act of “missing at least 10 percent of school days, or approximately 18 days in a year, for any reason, excused or unexcused.”

The same website also reports that the U.S. rate of chronic absenteeism (truancy) was at 28% during the 2022-23 school year. That's over 15 million of the 54 million public school students in the U.S. that had missed 10% of their school time that year. Some people may wonder if chronic absenteeism is really that serious of a problem.

It is in fact a huge problem in our country. Truants (students that partake in truancy) regularly miss valuable instructional time that could affect their test grades, participation, and eventually the decline of their overall academic performance. Missing too much school could equate to not getting the proper education that you need.

The Classroom, a website made to use articles and statistics to help students find and apply to colleges, says that truancy not only affects students academically but it also affects them in adulthood. The website states, “For example, since truant students are more likely to drop out of school, they have decreased opportunities for career advancement. The lack of opportunity to go to college due to poor grades limits employment options and increases the likelihood of lower salaries and unemployment.”

The website goes on to talk about the increase in criminal activity from truant students, making it clear that it is an important matter that requires immediate action to cease.

One of these actions to prevent truancy is penalties that students receive from their own schools. This includes disciplinary actions such as detention, restriction from participation in certain extracurricular activities, and in some extreme cases, suspension. The state of California also allows for students in high school who are repeat offenders to get their drivers license suspended. Other penalties focus more on legal consequences for the parents of truants. The Shouse Law Group website states that according to the law, a parent who continuously fails to send their child to school can be charged with committing a misdemeanor.

The site states, “The crime is punishable by: imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year; and/or, a maximum fine of $2,000.” Many people debate whether these punishments, specifically the fine and jail time, are really necessary to enforce good attendance in students. At our very own John F. Kennedy High School, both students and teachers have mixed opinions on whether or not these actions to prevent truancy are fair to students and their parents.

Marie Gilbertson (9) believes that these repercussions are very excessive, saying, “It’s one thing to give a student detention for missing too much school, but on the other hand, going to jail, for however long, is way too severe of a punishment.” Sometimes students can’t control their situations and they may need to miss school for long periods of time. If that is the case it is important to support them and help them get back on track once they return to school.