They can't read. They lived in low-income neighborhoods. They were truants when they were younger. They are overweight. They were juvenile shoplifters.
Truancy eventually becomes a problem for society.
Lots of evidence tells us that skipping school often leads to drug abuse, delinquency, and dropping out of school. The problems related to truancy can make it hard for teenagers to become responsible adults. The long-term cost to society is overwhelming in terms of lost wages, unemployment benefits, welfare payments, lost tax revenues, and the need for additional law enforcement and corrections personnel and facilities. Have parents who feel that education is not important. To help you see what 150,000 absent students might look like, think of two major university football stadiums filled with fans.