In Detroit, a student who has more than 18 unexcused absences in a year may not advance to the next grade, according to a new school district policy launched this month. In Westland, police officers have helped school officials crack down on truancy by visiting the homes of the chronically absent. The Juvenile Bureau of the Police Department began the checks in the fall of 1998. Most parents comply after they learn they are violating a state law by not sending their children to school, Slezak said. State lawmakers have introduced three bills aimed at curbing truancy.
Truancy is considered a deterrent to academic success.
Educators say skipping school often leads to dropping out. On Friday, Wayne County Family Court Judge Kirsten Frank Kelly is scheduled to meet with parents of about 32 chronically truant Detroit students. The parents will be served with writs of apprehension this week ordering them to appear. The judge will discuss ways to solve the truancy problem. If the parents don't show up or don't get their youngsters into school, they could be charged with parental neglect.