Court Order Lowers Truancy Threshold

In compliance with an order of the Knox County Juvenile Court, on Thursday Knox County Schools will begin to report to authorities all students who have been unlawfully absent from school for 10 or more days.

In a court order dated November 16, Juvenile Court Judge Carey Garrett directed the school system “to furnish information and assistance to this Court regarding students that have ten (10) unexcused absences from school.” The
previous threshold was 15 or more unexcused absences.

Garrett states in the order that the “court recognizes the high correlation between truancy from school and juvenile crime and the increased number of youth who are at risk of delinquency because of truancy.”

In a letter to school system and county officials Garrett says “the intent of this change is not to create an unequal process for parents from one semester to the next, but to enhance the overall goals of the Truancy Initiative.” Garrett goes on to say, “Parents previously notified that they have 15 days will continue to have them. The screening committee will take into account that this change is coming in the middle of a school year and will not penalize any parent because of the change.”

“Upon a student’s eleventh unexcused absence we will provide the court with information that will bring that student and the student’s parents into the Attorney General’s ongoing Truancy Initiative,” said Bobbi McGarity, Knox County School’s Assistant Superintendent for Supplementary Services. “This program has been very effective since its inception several years ago, and we appreciate the efforts of General Nichols and all agencies involved.”

Knox County Attorney General Randy Nichols was instrumental in implementing the county’s Truancy Initiative in 1998. Knox County is the nation’s only recipient of a Truancy Grant, which provides a full-time prosecutor and a full-time paralegal to work on the Truancy Initiative. This is a collaborative effort between the school system, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Department, Juvenile Court and the Attorney General's office.

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