FBE – Admissions and Attendance: Truancy Support Centers
Revised September 2023
Truancy Support Centers—
The Board may establish truancy support centers within existing school buildings for receipt of truant children and/or students suspended or expelled from school. The centers shall be staffed with existing teachers or staff to provide assessment of the student’s needs and abilities, support for the parents and student through counseling and community programs and tutoring for the student during the time spent in the center. Upon receipt of a truant child, the center staff shall, without unnecessary delay, notify and direct the child’s parent to come to the center, pick up the child and return the child to the child’s school. If the parent cannot be reached or is unable or unwilling to comply with the request within a reasonable time, the center shall take such steps as are reasonably necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of the child. If appropriate, the center shall return the child to school or refer him or her to the Division of Child and Family Services. The center shall report the actions taken to the District, which shall then promptly notify the child’s parent of the action taken.
For the suspended or expelled student, the truancy support center shall provide an educational setting, staffed with certified teachers and aides, to provide the student with ongoing educational programming appropriate to the student’s grade level. In a district with a truancy support center, all students suspended or expelled from school shall be referred to the center. A parent shall appear with the student at the center within 48 hours of the suspension or expulsion, not including weekends or holidays. The student shall register and attend classes at the truancy support center for the duration of the suspension or expulsion unless the parent demonstrates that alternative arrangements have been made for the education or supervision of the student during the time of suspension or expulsion. The truancy support center may provide counseling and other support programming for students suspended or expelled from school and their parents.