Minors can only be truants if their absence from school was unexcused. California Education Code 48205 lists 11 ways a school absence is excused: The student is sick, A local health officer has issued a quarantine, The student has a medical, dental, vision, or chiropractic appointment, So the student can attend an immediate family member's funeral, For jury duty, The student is the custodial parent of a child who has a medical appointment or is sick, For justifiable personal reasons that have been approved by the school, To serve as a member of a precinct board for an election, To spend time with an immediate family member on active military duty, To go to the student's own naturalization ceremony and become a U.S. citizen, and At the discretion of the school administrator.