Lexington 1 explains truancy process: interventions, court referrals and consequences

District staff on Oct. 21 reviewed Lexington County School District One’s truancy process with the Board of Trustees, describing the sequence of notifications, interventions and potential court actions when students accumulate unexcused absences.

Staff said that when a student is absent the parent or guardian is notified and that the student must provide an excuse within three days of return. A student with three consecutive or five cumulative unexcused absences is identified as truant, and schools attempt to contact the family to schedule an attendance intervention plan meeting to identify causes and supports.

If a student accrues two additional unexcused absences after the intervention plan is in place, staff said the district reports the student to the court system for violating the agreed attendance intervention plan. For students aged 12–17, the truancy petition is against both the student and the parent; for students under 12, staff said the petition is against the parent. If a court issues an order and the student violates that court order, the matter can be reported as contempt.

Why it matters: the district emphasized the importance of attendance for learning and described the graduated interventions that schools use before referring matters to the court system. Trustees asked for clarification about how students are coded and how parents are notified when a student’s status changes; staff said schools contact parents when a student is coded as truant and that sometimes the issue is missing documentation such as doctor’s notes.

Staff said the district’s approach balances outreach and support with formal interventions when attendance does not improve.