Butler County creating new program to address truancy
Butler County’s judges, school districts and child welfare agencies are working together to create a Truancy Court Program aimed at improving school attendance and reducing truancy.
Butler County Common Pleas Court President Judge S. Michael Yeager signed an administrative order July 8, establishing the Truancy Court Program.
The order states the court recognizes that juvenile truancy is a complex issue that requires the coordinated efforts of school districts, courts, child welfare agencies, juvenile probation and other community organizations.
Coordinating the resources of the county’s magisterial district courts, Common Pleas Court, Children and Youth Agency, Human Services Department, school districts and additional community partners to identify and resolve barriers to school attendance through a tiered response system will enhance educational success and support sustained academic achievement, according to the order.
The Truancy Court Program will address truancy through a collaborative approach by creating a universal, standard framework for school districts to address chronic absenteeism, according to the order.
The program is being put together with the goal of implementation before the start of the 2026-27 school year, said Erica Cihonski, deputy court administrator. The new program will officially go into effect 30 days after its advertisement is published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on July 25, she said.
“There’s a lot of moving pieces with getting a new program up and running,” Cihonski said.
Court officials have met with superintendents from all county school districts and officials of the departments to work out details of the program, she said.
Among the many details being worked out is whether a judge or hearing officer will preside over truancy court cases, she said.
The program is being developed with two goals in mind, said Charlie Johns, executive director of the county Children and Youth Services department.
The first goal is to impress upon parents that truancy is a problem more serious than they might think, and the second goal is to connect them to services available to alleviate truancy and prevent absenteeism, he said.
Johns said the program hasn’t been finalized yet, but based on his understanding of it school districts will refer students or parents to district judges and the judges will refer them to truancy court.
He said CYS officials and service providers will attend court hearings to “point families in the right direction to get help to alleviate the problem and hopefully the root cause.”
Addressing truancy has been a “tertiary,” but important, function in CYS arising from child welfare referrals involving neglect or abuse, but truancy court directly involves the agency, Johns said.
“We have historically prioritized that when we get those referrals,” Johns said. “This is new pathway to CYS.”
Under state law mandating compulsory attendance, children must attend school beginning at no later than six years of age until they reach 18, or until they graduate from an accredited high school.
A child is considered truant after three or more days of unexcused absences during a school year, and a child is considered habitually truant after six or more days of unexcused absences.
A person convicted of violating compulsory attendance laws can face maximum fines ranging from $300 for a first offense to $750 for a third offense. Court costs are additional. Possible sentences include community service, or completion of an appropriate course or program designed to improve school attendance.
If a child or parent is convicted of a second or subsequent offense within a three-year period, the court must refer the child for services or possible adjudication as a dependent child under the Juvenile Act.
A parent who does not comply with the penalties can be sentenced to three days in jail if the court finds the parent had reasonable ability to comply, but chose not to.
A child failing to satisfy penalties is not considered a delinquent act, but may be found to be a dependent child and placed under court supervision. The judge may send the conviction to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which is then required to suspend the child's driving privileges for 90 days for a first offense, and six months for a second or subsequent offense. A child who does not have a driver's license is ineligible to apply for a driver's license for 90 days or six months, depending on the offense, beginning when the child turns 16.
