NCJ Number
212169
Date Published
September 2005
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper summarizes legal and economic issues associated with truancy.
Abstract
Compulsory education laws are determined by State legislation. States typically require school attendance from the ages of 6 to 16. Schools face a number of laws and regulations on how attendance is recorded, how enrollment is calculated, grade retention policies, zero-tolerance policies, the reintegration of incarcerated students, their responsibility to pursue truants, and compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act. As a last resort, schools must file court cases, but have no say in how they will be handled or how the court is organized. Parents and students targeted by school truancy programs may also file lawsuits. Truancy reduction programs (TRPs) are cost-effective. The average high school dropout costs society over $200,000 while many TRPs operate on less than $100,000 a year. Thus, if TRPs make the difference between graduation and dropout for just one child per year, they are sound investments. Regardless of the type of TRP program implemented, the monitoring of its progress and outcomes is essential to the maintenance of support and funding. Overall, TRPs promote educational success, reduce juvenile and adult criminality, save taxpayers money, and generate indirect benefits through social service referrals. Recommendations for countering truancy pertain to State laws, schools and school districts, courts, truancy reduction programs, and researchers.