1. How is truancy defined in the District of Columbia? What constitutes a student being truant?

Truancy refers to a student’s accrual of unexcused absences from school. Truancy is defined in the law as any absence from school by a school-aged child without a valid excuse.[1] An absence will only be considered “excused” if a valid explanation is provided to the school within a reasonable timeframe. [2] The following reasons must be accepted by all schools in the District as valid excuses:

• Illness or other bona fide medical cause experienced by the student
• Exclusion, by direction of the authorities of the District of Columbia, due to quarantine, contagious disease, infection, infestation, or other condition requiring separation from other students for medical or health reasons;
• Death in the student’s family;
• Necessity for a student to attend judiciary or administrative proceedings as a party to the action or under subpoena;    
• Observance of a religious holiday;
• Lawful suspension or exclusion from school by school authorities;
• Temporary closing of facilities or suspension of classes due to severe weather, official activities, holidays, malfunctioning equipment, unsafe or unsanitary conditions, or other condition(s) or emergency requiring a school closing or suspension of classes;
• Failure of the District of Columbia to provide transportation in cases where the District of Columbia has a legal responsibility for the transportation of the student;
• Medical or dental appointments for the student;
• Absences to allow students to visit their parent or a legal guardian, who is in the military;  immediately before, during, or after deployment; and
• An emergency or other circumstances approved by an educational institution.

Schools have discretion regarding additional explanations they consider to be valid. A student who is truant for ten or more days during the school year is considered to be chronically truant student under the law.

2. What is the difference between chronic absenteeism and chronic truancy?

Unlike truancy, absenteeism refers to both excused and unexcused absences. A student who is absent for more than 10% of school days, whether excused or unexcused, is considered to be a chronically absent student. D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 5, § A2199 (2013).

3. What are the consequences of truancy?

For students ages 5-13, mandated reporters including schools refer students to the Child and Family Service Agency (CFSA) no later than 2 business days after the accrual of 10 unexcused absences within one school year.[3] Students ages 14 – 17 with 15 or more unexcused absences are referred to the Child Support Services Division (CSSD) and Office of the Attorney General (OAG).  Students ages 14-17 may be referred to Court Social Services and to Office of the Attorney General Juvenile Section for prosecution, diversion and community based interventions. [4]  Students who meet the definition of being truant are also subject to participating in individual or group counseling to create an action plan, being picked up by law enforcement officers during school hours for suspected truancy[5], having course grades or year-end promotion be affected, revoking of student driving privileges, and ineligibility for employment with the Summer Youth Employment Program sponsored by the DC Department of Employment Services.[6] In addition to District of Columbia’s consequences, other truancy consequences include course failure, disengagement from school, lower test scores, and increased risk of dropping out. [7]

4. What are some common causes of truancy and absenteeism?

Students in the District miss school for many reasons. Excessive absences and truancy may be an indication of more challenging root causes. Common barriers to attendance include student health (physical and mental), transportation, parent health, housing, academics, safety and childcare.[8] It takes schools, families and students all working together to address chronic absenteeism.

5. What if my child is at school but not attending class?

If a student misses more than 20% of a school day, they will be marked absent for that day. This is to ensure that students who are marked present actually receiving a meaningful dosage of their education. This means that if a student misses scheduled class periods or school activities throughout the day, they may be considered absent for the day. [9]

6. What roles do schools take to prevent and address truancy and absenteeism?

Schools must develop and use a specific protocol for absenteeism that includes prevention of unexcused absences. Schools are required to convene support teams to help determine the underlying cause of a student’s absenteeism or truancy, as well as to make recommendations for academic, diagnostic, or social work services. Members of the team also collaborate with students and parents to create and implement action plans.[10] However, each school varies in the type of services provided.[11]

7. What District resources are in place to address student truancy?

A number of organizations in the District directly address truancy and absenteeism. A list of organizations as well as school-based supports can be found on the Resources page above.

8. What can parents and guardians do to prevent their child from being truant?

If parents and guardians have a child who is missing school, late to school, skipping class, or not interested in attending school, there are several ways to help them

• Set clear boundaries
• Ask questions of them and their school to stay informed
• Maintain routines
• Provide incentives
• Talk about consequences
• Keep open lines of communication with the school
• Know the attendance policy at your child’s school
• Talk to teachers
• Check to see if their child’s attendance is piling up
• Ask for help from school officials or community agencies if they are having trouble getting their child to school.  

Attendance Works has some additional information for parents seeking to prevent their child from becoming chronically absent or truant.

10. Are the truancy and attendance policies different for DC Public Charter Schools and District of Columbia Public Schools?

Truancy laws at the city-level are the same for both DC Public Schools and DC Public Charter Schools. These laws can be found in DC Code and summarized in the OSSE Attendance Matters Guidebook for Parents and Guardians. However, some policies set by local education agencies (LEAs) and schools differ (e.g., additional valid excuses for absences). The policies for DC Public Schools are outlined on the DCPS Student Attendance and Support website. Attendance policies for individual charter LEAs can often be found on their websites or by asking the school’s central office.