The Rise of Truancy Ticket Warnings

A truancy ticket is when parents or legal guardians can be found guilty of misdemeanor if their child is not attending school. With the first offense it can result in a $500 fine or even 30 days in jail. Truancy can be missing or skipping school without having a reason. 

If a student is eighteen they are not able to get a truancy ticket since you are a legal adult by age. Children under the age of eighteen cannot leave school without a parent’s consent, but for eighteen-year-olds who live on their own, you are able to sign yourself out and leave.

Many students at Arrowhead High School who have been missing more than 10 days of school or 100 periods have received emails that say the following from Becky Gordon the Vice Principal. The email also has all of the students’ teachers and parents carbon copied in the email: “If you are receiving this email, you are a teacher and counselor of an 18 year old student as well as the 18 year old student.  The reason for this email is because you (name redacted) have exceeded the allotted number of days to be absent from school per State law for students under the age of 18.  Because Compulsory Attendance laws do not apply to 18-year old students, this email serves as a strong reminder of the Arrowhead School Board Policy on absences.  This reminder pertains to student work which has a significant impact on a student’s ability to pass classes which directly correlates to credit attainment and the earning of a diploma in June.” 

You are able to miss school, but once it becomes too many days over the limit your teachers are able to decide how they go about late work. Teachers are able to decide how much percent is given on late work that you have to make up for the days students have missed.” 

Students are arguing that since they have maintained a good grade point average and still have been time manageable while missing school. 

Senior Athena McSorely, who has just received the recent email, says, “I have missed a good amount of classes and days of school, but I still have been very consistent with my grades. I just do not understand why it matters.”