Truancy is a Community Issue
Let's ACT (Abolish Chronic Truancy) NOW

Did you know...

• Chronic Absences in grades K-3 are clearly associated with school dropout rates,
  delinquency, and substance abuse?
• Truancy has also been linked to an increase in gang activity, criminal activity, and
  educational failure.
• Children who miss more than 9 days per school year are 21 times more likely to be involved
  in Property Crimes, 12 times more likely to be involved in Assault Crimes, and 16 times
  more likely to use Marijuana before age 14?
• Every High School dropout costs society between $188,000 and $297,000, depending on
  race and sex of the dropout. (About 1/4 MILLION dollars for each dropout, JUST on social programs.)

Truancy awareness is a new push for Law Enforcement, Court Services, the Judges in our Circuit,
the School District, Department of Social Services, and the State Legislature. We are ALL working
together to keep kids in school.  Parents, family, and schools are BIG parts of the solution.
State laws on truancy:
SDCL: 13-27-1 states children age 6 to 15 must attend school- (Text of section effective until July 1, 2009,
when the age becomes 5 to 17).   Every person having control of a child who is six years old by the first day of
September and who has not exceeded the age of sixteen, shall cause the child to regularly and annually attend
some public or nonpublic school for the entire term during which the public school in the district in which the
person resides, or the school to which the child is assigned to attend, is in session, until the child reaches the age
of sixteen year, unless excused as provided in this chapter.

SDCL: 13-27-11 states it is the parent/guardian's responsibility to get them to attend school -- Any person
having congtrol of a child of compulsory school age, who fails to have the chilod attend school as required by the
provisions of this title, is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor for the first offense. For each subsequent offense, a
violator of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Please help us fight truancy.
Please get your children to school every day and encourage others to do the same.
Thank you from the Rapid city Police Department, Pennignton County Sheriff's Office, and the ACT-
NOW committee. If you have questions, please call 394-4134 or 394-6115.