How to Know What to Expect If Your Child Is Charged with Truancy

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:KnowExpectChildChargedwithTruancy
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How to Know What to Expect If Your Child Is Charged with Truancy

Introduction

Truancy has been called one of the 10 most significant problems facing American schools today. If your child is of school-going age (between 8 and 17), you are responsible for making sure he or she attends school regularly. If your child is chronically absent without an excuse (usually, this means three or more absences in a row), he or she may be charged with truancy.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Steps

1

Step One

Take your child's truancy charges seriously. Truancy is seen as a gateway crime. If their behavior is not addressed, many truants go on to commit more serious offenses. Many also become high school dropouts.
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Step Two

Know what to expect next. After your child is charged with truancy, a truancy petition will be filed by the school district in family court. This will lead to the scheduling of a truancy hearing.
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Step Three

Understand that both you and your child are required to attend the truancy hearing.
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Step Four

Know what to expect if the judge finds your child truant. You may be found guilty of a summary offense and charged a fine. You may be required to enroll in a parenting education program, or you may be required to perform up to six months of community service.
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Step Five

Understand the importance of obeying court orders. If your child is found truant and you fail to fulfill the requirements of the court order levied against you, you could be sentenced to up to five days in jail.
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Step Six

Learn more about truancy issues via an organization such as the National Center for School Engagement (see Resources below).

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • Know the process behind your child's truancy charge. Teachers give a list of truant students to the relevant authorities, who then serve the parents with truancy charges.
  • As a parent, you have the right to receive three days' written notice of your child's truancy violation before proceedings may be brought against you. This notice may be sent by an attendance officer, a district superintendent or the school directors' secretary of the board.
  • Your child's truancy may affect your finances. If your child is charged with and found guilty of truancy, you may be required to pay a fine.

Overall Things You'll Need

  • Computer with Internet access
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