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 Ohio, truancy is addressed under the state's education laws. Ohio law defines a 'habitual truant' as any child of compulsory school age who is absent without legitimate excuse for absence from the public school the child is supposed to attend for 30 or more consecutive hours, 42 or more hours in one school month, or 72 or more hours in a school year. Ohio has implemented measures to combat truancy that focus on intervention rather than punishment. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3321.191, schools are required to establish absence intervention teams to develop intervention plans for students who are habitually truant. These plans may include counseling, a schedule adjustment, or other alternatives to address the student's needs. If the student fails to make satisfactory progress on the intervention plan, the school may file a complaint with the juvenile court. The court proceedings are designed to serve the best interest of the child, with the goal of improving the child's school attendance rather than imposing criminal penalties. Parents or guardians may also be subject to legal consequences if they contribute to the child's truancy.