Butler County is taking a new approach toward the issue of student truancy through the creation of a truancy court program, established by the county’s Common Pleas Court.

Very simply put, truancy in Pennsylvania is when a student has three unexcused absences in one school year. Schools have to notify guardians their students are truant within 10 days of that third unexcused absence. Six unexcused absences makes a student habitually truant, which can lead to harsher penalties for students and their guardians.

All of this stems from the state’s law that school is compulsory for children age 6 through 18 or graduation. As children younger than 18 are not legally responsible for many things, in most cases their guardians are legally responsible for ensuring they attend school between ages 6 and 18.

That means, if a child wakes up every day complaining that they don’t want to go to school — it’s still the parents’ or guardians’ job to make them attend. That means, if a teenager finds a way to skip out on school — it’s still on the adults raising them to make sure they’re going to school every day.

We know this is not as easy. Parents are not always home when teens get on the bus or get a ride from a friend to head to high school in the morning. Even popular family safety and location-sharing apps can be tricked by tech-savvy teens.

Unfortunately, this is one of the most obvious, real-world examples it’s not always best to be friends with our children — sometimes we just have to parent them.

Once a student hits age 15, the courts can begin to hold children personally responsible for their truancy. That can mean anything from a fine to students losing their driver’s license or barred from receiving one.

Those leading the effort on Butler County’s new program recognize this is a truly complex problem. Family dynamics, housing, homelessness, unemployment, addiction, poverty, child custody issues and other destabilizing factors can all lead to truancy problems.

One family’s problem will rarely mirror another family’s issues. In Butler’s new court, judges, school districts and child welfare agencies are all involved.

For more information, or a school attendance improvement kit, visit palawhelp.org.

Hopefully, this new approach will help everyone involved from the students to the guardians to the school officials to the court system itself.

— KL