Why you should care about truancy

• A chronic or habitual truant is any student 6-17 years old who is absent without valid cause for 5% (9 unexcused days) out of 180 consecutive days.
• Class C Misdemeanor- if found guilty the parent could face up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine.
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• Children can’t learn if they aren’t present in school
• Parents, especially in early years are best positioned to ensure children attend school and to build the expectation around attendance.
• Chronic absence is Kindergarten is associated with lower academic performance in 1^st grade among all children and, for poor children, predicts the lowest levels of educational achievement at the end of fifth grade.
• By 6^th grade, missing 20% is a critical warning sign of school drop-out.
• By 9^th grade, missing 20% of school can be a better predictor of drop-out than 8^th grade test scores.

When is sick too sick for school?

• Send me to school if…

  • I have a runny nose or just a little cough, but no other symptoms
  • I haven’t taken any fever reducing medicine for 24 hours, and I haven’t had a fever during that time.
  • I haven’t thrown up or had any diarrhea for 24 hours

• Keep me at home if…

  • I have a temperature higher than 100 degrees even after taking medicine
  • I’m throwing up or have diarrhea
  • My eyes are pink and crusty

• Call the doctor if…

  • I have a temperature higher than 100 degrees for more than two days
  • I’ve been throwing up or have diarrhea for more than two days
  • I’ve had the sniffles for more than a week, and they aren’t getting better
  • I still have asthma symptoms after using my asthma medicine (and call 911 if I’m having trouble breathing after using an inhaler)