Is truancy a crime? 

Truancy is an act that is an offense only because of the offender’s age, meaning the same conduct by an adult would not be an offense or involve law enforcement and the courts.

Status offenses including truancy, running away from home, failure to obey parents and curfew violations, are generally understood to reflect family problems.

Federal law forbids locking up youth charged with status offenses.

In some states, when youth violate probation orders requiring school attendance, judges can order youth be locked up.

Some states charge parents for failing to ensure their children’s school attendance.

Macias, L. (2016).