Family factors include:

• Lack of guidance or parental supervision
• Domestic violence
• Drug or alcohol abuse in the home
• Lack of awareness of the school’s attendance policies and the state’s attendance laws
• Ambivalent attitudes about the importance of education

Suggested interventions:

• Inform parents of available counseling services and parent education classes offered in the community that will assist them in working with their child to alleviate factors contributing to truancy. Consider whether they may need individual or family counseling, drug or alcohol counseling, or parenting skills classes.
• Encourage parents to assume greater responsibility for ensuring regular attendance by their child.
• Conduct workshops to educate parents about the compulsory attendance and educational neglect laws.
• Make sure parents have a clear understanding of their legal obligations and what can happen if they do not make their child attend school.
  • If convicted for violating South Carolina’s compulsory school attendance laws, parents can be fined up to $50 for each day their child is absent or put in jail for up to 30 days for each unexcused absence. § 59-65-20.
  • Parents can be charged with educational neglect if the school has made efforts to ensure the child’s regular attendance and those efforts fail because of the parents’ refusal to cooperate. § 63-7-20(4)(c).

Economic influences include:

• Poverty
• Homelessness
• Working students
• Single-parent homes
• High rate of mobility or relocation of the family
• Parents who work multiple jobs
• Lack of adequate transportation
• Lack of affordable childcare

Suggested interventions:

• Adopt alternative schedules for high school students who are working to encourage and accommodate regular school attendance.
• Connect homeless families with service providers who can help them obtain financial, social, and medical assistance.
• Assign a case manager to work with the family to obtain services and counseling needed to address the truancy.
• Work with community-based organizations and agencies that could offer a continuum of services for truant children and their families.
• Encourage student participation in organized educational, recreational, and social activities conducted in the community.

School factors include:

• School size which can lead to feelings of alienation and disassociation
• Overcrowded classrooms
• Attitudes and relations among students, teachers, and administrators
• Limited flexibility in meeting the diverse cultural and learning styles of the students
• Inappropriate enforcement of rules and procedures
• Inconsistent procedures for dealing with truancy
• Lack of meaningful consequences for truant youth

Suggested interventions:

• Establish and encourage in-school and out-of-school tutoring and mentoring programs.
• Utilize in-school instead of out-of school suspension.
• Reward student participation with community organizations.

Student variables include:

• Academic problems and learning difficulties
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Lack of understanding of attendance laws
• Poor social skills
• Mental health issues
• Physical health problems

Suggested interventions:

• Develop attendance workshops for truant students.
• Make sure the student has a clear understanding of the school’s attendance policies, the compulsory attendance laws, and the implications of violating those laws.
• Assign a case manager to work with the student and the student’s family to obtain services and counseling needed to address the truancy.
• Provide students with support such as tutoring and mentoring services.
• Refer the student to the appropriate agencies or organizations in the community for testing, counseling, or social services.

This is a critical step in the process.  The key to developing an effective intervention plan is to correctly identify the underlying causes of the truant behavior.  

Reg. 43-274 requires school officials to make every reasonable effort to meet with the child’s parents to identify the reasons for the child’s continued absence as soon as a child is determined to be truant.  “Reasonable efforts” to meet with the parents should include telephone calls and home visits, both during and after normal business hours, as well as written messages and e-mails.

Suggestions:

• Take the time necessary to determine why the child is missing school. Again, in order for the intervention plan to be truly effective, it is essential to identify the underlying factors contributing to the truancy.
• Make sure you have all the background information necessary to develop a plan that is tailored to meet the individual needs of the child and the child’s family.
• The easiest way to start this process is by meeting with the child and discussing the truancy problem with the child.  Try to learn as much as possible from the child by asking questions and letting the child know that you are there to help.
• Schedule a parent conference at the school.
• Meet with the child and the child’s parents together to discuss reasons for the child’s absences. Be sure to get as much input from the child and the parents as possible.
• When appropriate and necessary, make home visits to meet with the family and observe the child’s home environment.
• Do not rule anything out until you have gathered enough information to make an informed assessment that takes all the circumstances surrounding the child’s life into account.
• Consider the following:
  • Has the child been tested to ensure appropriate placement in school?
  • Are there any signs that the child may have a learning disability?
  • Has the child been diagnosed with any type of mental illness that could be contributing to the truant behavior?
  • Does the child have a drug or alcohol problem?
  • Are there any medical problems or health issues that need to be addressed?
  • Has the child been diagnosed with any type of illness that could be a contributing factor?
  • Does the child have a primary care physician?
  • Is the child experiencing any problems with vision?
  • Is the child receiving proper dental care for any dental problems the child may have?
  • Have there been any recent stressful events in the child’s life?
    • Death or illness of a family member or loved one?
    • Separation of parents?
    • Change in residence? 
  • Does the child have a problem with a particular teacher or class?
  • Is the child being bullied by other students at school?
  • Is there a transportation problem contributing to the truancy?
  • Are there issues at home that need to be addressed?
  • Is the child caring for younger siblings?
  • Do the parents have a substance abuse problem?
  • Are the parents gainfully employed and able to provide the basic necessities for the family?
• In addition to meeting with the child and the child’s parents, check with all the child’s teachers to see if they are able to provide any additional insight into the situation.
• Utilize the services of the school nurse, guidance counselor, and social worker to help identify why the child is missing school. 

When a child is determined to be truant, Reg. 43-274 requires school officials to develop a written intervention plan to address the student’s continued absence in conjunction with the child and parents.  School officials have the option of using a team intervention approach when developing the plan. Team members may include representatives from social services, community mental health, substance abuse and prevention, and anyone else deemed appropriate by the district.

Reg. 43-274 requires the written intervention plan to at least include the following:

• Designation of a person to lead the intervention team
• Reasons for the unlawful absences
• Actions to be taken by the parents to resolve the causes of the unlawful absences
• Actions to be taken by the student to resolve the causes of the unlawful absences
• Documentation of referrals to appropriate service providers and, if available, alternative school and community-based programs
• Actions to be taken by intervention team members
• Actions to be taken if unlawful absences continue
• Signature of the parents or evidence that attempts were made to involve the parents
• Documentation of team members’ involvement
• Guidelines for revising the plan

Suggestions:

• When meeting with parents, it is important to treat them with respect and, until proven otherwise, it should be assumed that the parents want their child to be in school. Parents should be approached in a way that creates an atmosphere of concern and shows a willingness on the part of the school to help.  This will set the tone for future dealings with the family and will convey to the parents the message that the school places a high priority on their child’s good attendance.
• Parents must be made aware of the vital role that they play in ensuring their child’s good attendance.  It may be helpful to discuss the importance of receiving an education and how it will provide their child with opportunities for a better life.  This will obviously be more of an issue in families where, historically, little value has been placed on education, which should become apparent in the initial meetings with the parents.
• Be sure to clearly state what is expected of the child and the parents throughout the intervention process.  Make sure the child and parents completely understand what they are required to do and what will happen if they do not comply with those requirements.
• It may be helpful to develop and implement a contract with the child and parents to improve the child’s attendance. (See Section 7, Tools & Resources for a sample Student Contract to Improve School Attendance.)
• Utilize the services of the school nurse, guidance counselor, and/or social worker to provide family counseling to help address the issues contributing to the truant behavior.
• Conduct an assessment for social services should the family need additional interventions that the school cannot provide.  Make referrals to any appropriate services or resources in the community that may be available to help the family.
• Address any school transportation problems that may exist.  Also, make sure steps are taken to ensure that transportation problems do not prevent the family from accessing recommended community services.
• Immediate steps should be taken to provide the child with necessary books and working materials if the child’s parents are unable to purchase them. Although this does not have to be part of the intervention plan, it is required by law (§ 59-65-270) and should be incorporated into the plan if it has not already been done.
• If the child does not have suitable clothing or shoes, the attendance supervisor should report this to the appropriate social service provider (DSS) in the community.  Again, although this is not required to be part of the intervention plan, the law states that it must be done. § 59-65-270.