Children may miss school for lots of reasons. Children may be sick, afraid of being bullied, or too depressed to attend. If they have not had success in school, they may start to dread going. As children get older, parents and guardians may find it harder to make children attend. One response to poor attendance is to label the child as a “truant.”
Please be aware that each school district is required to have its own attendance policy that can be tougher than the state truancy laws.
Q. Are children required to go to school? Who is responsible for making sure they attend?
A. The State of Iowa has a compulsory attendance law. This means the “custodian” of a child between the age of 6 and 16 is responsible for making sure the child attends school. A custodian may be a parent, guardian, or other caretaker. This article will just use the word parent.
Q. What is truancy?
A. Truancy means being absent from school for any reason at least 20 % of the days in a school year or school hours during an instructional period such as a term/quarter or semester.
This would include missing school for: family vacations, going to cheer your school’s sports team at state competitions, college visits, helping on the family farm, or even out-of-school suspensions when the school has stated that the child cannot be present at the school.
A child who misses at least 10% of the days in a school year or school hours, will be first considered “chronically absent,” but if the child continues to be absent, then they will be considered “truant.”
In the past, schools were able to determine if an absence was excused or unexcused; however, as of July 1, 2024, the State permits only 6 exceptions to the truancy rules:
1. If the child has completed the requirements to graduate at the designated public school district, or has obtained the equivalency of a high school diploma (e.g., GED);
2. A judge excuses the child’s absence(s) for sufficient reason;
3. If the child is absent while attending any religious services or receiving religious instructions;
4. The child has legitimate medical reasons for the absences which are determined by the school district;
5. If the child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that affects their attendance;
6. If the child has a 504 Plan that affects their attendance;
7. The child is a military applicant undergoing military entrance processing;
8. The child is presently engaged in military service;
9. If the child is traveling to attend a funeral; or
10. The child is traveling to attend a wedding.
*NOTE: Each school board of directors of a public school district must adopt policies that describe how children can meet the exceptions to truancy rules, and travel time must be taken into reasonable consideration.
Furthermore, children who are chronically absent (i.e., misses at least 10% of school days or hours) shall not receive an intermediate or full driver’s license until the age of 18.
Q. How serious is truancy?
A. If a child is actually truant, it is a very serious matter. Under the compulsory attendance law, if a child is absent from school, the parent should make sure the school knows why – a parent has the responsibility of notifying the school when their child(ren) will not be in attendance.
If a child is truant, it could eventually result in the parent being prosecuted, meaning the parent could be criminally charged with a simple misdemeanor.
Additionally, if a child is frequently absent or truant, they are missing essential content in their classes, which may have long-term effects on their ability to finish out the school year and proceed to the next grade level.
Q. What would have to happen before a parent could be prosecuted because the child is truant?
A. Several things would have to happen before there could be prosecution:
Schools are required to, by the state, make extra efforts to work with parents to stop the truancy. First, the school must provide a notice to parents of a possible truancy via one of the following ways: (1) ordinary mail, (2) electronic mail, (3) electronic message, or (4) have the notice delivered in person.
Second, if a child is absent from school for greater than or equal to 15% of the days or hours in the grading period, a school official is required to attempt to find the cause for the child’s absences. A school engagement meeting is required if the school official determines that the child’s attendance issues are negatively impacting the child’s academic progress.The purpose of the school engagement meeting is to identify the child’s barriers to attendance and the interventions that may be used to improve the child’s attendance. For example, the school and the family may agree that counseling or other services would help make sure the child doesn’t miss school unnecessarily. At the meeting, an “absenteeism prevention plan” is created that will be put into effect by the school, parents, and child in question. School staff will monitor the attendance and will call the parents weekly during the remainder of the school year.
Although the impact on a child’s academic progress is now at the discretion of a school official, parents can raise concerns regarding potentially frequent absences and/or a child’s academic progression to the school’s administrators and staff. Transparency and action early on may help mitigate the risk of truancy and ensure clear communication between all involved.
If the problem is still not solved after all options have been exhausted or if the absenteeism prevention plan is violated, then the parent can be referred for prosecution. Remember, this is only if a child is truant. If a child has many absences, but they fall under any of the possible exceptions, the law does not give the school the power to refer the matter to the county attorney.
Parents can only be prosecuted if (1) the child is deemed truant by the school district AND (2) the parents refuse to take part in the school engagement meeting OR break the terms of the absenteeism prevention plan.
Q. How can a parent avoid truancy problems?
A. Iowa law has changed so that all absences that do not fall under the possible exceptions are not excused. If your child (1) has already completed the school district’s graduation requirements, (2) has absences that are excused by a judge, (3) are related to legitimate medical reasons recognized by the school district, (4) are for any religious services or instructions, (5) are related to their IEP or 504 plan, (6) are due to your child’s status as a military applicant undergoing military entrance processing, (7) are due to your child’s present engagement in military service, or (8) are for traveling to attend either a funeral or wedding, then inform and provide the school notice and be prepared to provide relevant documentation.
If your child has other reasons for missing school such as being bullied, or dread going to school, contact your school sooner rather than later to discuss and brainstorm a solution to the issue moving forward. Also, find a method that helps you with keeping track of known important dates, so that your child’s school is notified with ample time. Avoid having your child miss days when exams, assemblies, or other important events are taking place.
For further information about your specific school/district, look to the student/parent handbook which will explain their truancy policies, as well as other important school policies. It is very important for parents to be sure they understand the school policies and contact the school promptly about a child’s absences. Collaboration and reliable communication from all involved will ensure that children are getting the most out of their education, while promoting a healthy parent-school relationship as well.