Life Moves Fast – So Does the Truancy Process

Bueller? Bueller? While a legendary day off made an iconic movie plot, the reality of student absenteeism is a far less glamorous challenge for schools. This article will help school officials better understand the truancy process so they are not left feeling like Principal Rooney.

Truancy versus Educational Neglect

Truancy and educational neglect are often conflated terms. Truancy is when a student of mandatory attendance age (6 or older) is absent from school for a certain number of days without a valid excuse, as defined by board policy. The truancy process focuses on the student’s nonattendance and may involve the school district, intermediate school district, and county prosecutor.

Educational neglect, on the other hand, is when a parent or guardian fails to provide the proper or necessary educational support for their child under 18. A petition alleging educational neglect is initiated by the school and filed in state court. While both processes may be triggered by excessive student absenteeism, this article focuses on truancy.

Compulsory Attendance

Revised School Code Section 1561 requires students between 6 and 18 years old to attend public school, with a few exceptions. For example, a child is not required to attend public school if they regularly attend a state-approved nonpublic school, are homeschooled, or graduated from high school or fulfilled all graduation requirements. A child is also not required to attend public school if the child is at least 16 years old and their parent/guardian provides the child’s resident school district with written permission for the child to stop attending school.

Truancy Process

Each county handles truancy slightly differently and even schools within the same county may have different approaches to truancy and absenteeism. Generally, when a student is excessively absent (has reached a chosen number of unexcused absences or missed a chosen percentage of school days), the school district will start the truancy process by sending written notice to the parent/guardian, encouraging attendance, and explaining the truancy process. If the unexcused absences continue, the school district will then contact the ISD’s attendance officer. The attendance officer will investigate the excessive absences and may require a meeting with the student’s parent/guardian.

If the student continues to miss school, the attendance officer will send the parent/guardian official written notice, directing the student to appear at school on the next regular school day. If the student fails to comply with the written directive, the attendance officer will next refer the case to the county prosecutor’s office. Ultimately, failure to comply with Michigan’s compulsory attendance laws is a criminal offense, which could result in fines or jail time for parents, and juvenile charges for students.

Board Policy

Because truancy protocol varies across Michigan counties, school districts often have different standards that trigger the truancy process. For example, some board policies require initial parental notice when a student is absent for a certain percentage of the school year, while others require initial parental notice when a student has reached a specified number of unexcused absences. Board policies may also differ in their definition of excused versus unexcused absences. Excused absences may include, but are not limited to, severe weather, medical appointments, death of a family member, family vacations, funerals, weddings, or religious holidays’ observance. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

School officials should review their board policies, applicable ISD board policies, and their county’s protocol to ensure a consistent truancy process. For Thrun Policy Service subscribers, Policy 5301 addresses compulsory attendance, absenteeism, and truancy.

Special Education Considerations

If a student with excessive absences is on a Section 504 plan or an individualized education program (IEP), the excessive nature of the absences should be relayed to the student’s IEP team or the school’s Section 504 coordinator. Excessive absences may be an indicator that the student needs additional supports to attend school. For general education students, a student’s excessive absences may also trigger a school’s “child find” obligation under the IDEA and Section 504, requiring the school to refer the student for a Section 504 or IDEA evaluation. More information on these and other special education attendance considerations can be found in MDE’s August 2025 Guidance on Supporting Attendance for Students with Disabilities, which will be addressed in next month’s School Law Notes.