A truant is a student who stays away from school without permission or an explanation. Truancy laws are designed to encourage school attendance by creating simple court procedures through which children are held accountable for excessive school absences. The courts focus on the best interest of the child when addressing the truant conduct of a child.
Truant conduct is usually prosecuted or addressed as a civil (noncriminal) matter, and the definition and procedures for dealing with truancy are usually located in a state's statutes—often in the family code or education code.
In Iowa, truancy laws are established to promote regular school attendance and address absenteeism without a valid excuse. Under Iowa Code Section 299.1A, a child who is of compulsory attendance age, which is between 6 and 16 years old, must attend school. If a child is habitually absent from school without a reasonable excuse, the child may be deemed truant. The Iowa Code outlines procedures for addressing truancy, which typically involve collaboration between schools, parents, and the juvenile court system. The focus is on the best interest of the child, with the goal of resolving the underlying issues causing truancy. Interventions may include truancy mediation, attendance cooperation plans, and involvement of juvenile court services. The process is civil in nature, and the aim is to provide support and resources to encourage attendance rather than to punish the student.