Section 1561: (1)…every parent, guardian or other person in this state having control and charge of a child from the age of 6 to the child’s sixteenth birthday, shall send that child to the public schools during the entire school year (except if enrolled in an approved non-public school). The child’s attendance shall be continuous and consecutive for the school year fixed by the school district in which the child is enrolled.

Every day, hundreds of thousands of youth are absent from school nationwide. According to a 2007-08 report from the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) 14,322 students were truant in Genesee County’s 21 public schools districts and 10 public school academies. Many were absent because parents neglected to send their children to school. Left unchecked, truancy is a risk factor for serious juvenile delinquency and is often followed by progressively more serious behavioral and adjustment problems in adulthood. We realize these are not the only steps in addressing school attendance problems. A cooperative and coordinated community-wide response that includes support services to address the underlying causes of school nonattendance is needed to be successful. Intervention at the elementary school level is essential. We will continue to develop recommendations and approaches for prevention and early intervention.

Section 1587: If a parent/guardian fails to comply with the Compulsory School Attendance Act, the ISD Attendance Officer shall give written notice in person or by registered mail to parent/guardian requiring the child to appear in attendance on the next regular school day following receipt of the written notice. Failure to comply with this notice will be reported by appropriate local school official. Section 1588: If the parent/guardian fails to comply with the above notice, the attendance officer shall make a complaint against parent/guardian to the court having jurisdiction in the county of residence for refusal or neglect to send the child to school. Court action will follow the same manner as is provided for other cases under its jurisdiction.