Failure to attend school regularly without parents' approval.

In the 1990s, truancy has become a serious problem in many communities worldwide. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that 80% of those in prison were at one time truants. The percent of juvenile offenders who started as truants is even higher, approaching 95%.

The majority of the states in the United States require that students attend school until at least the age of 16. All states have laws governing compulsory education, and noncompliance results in penalties for the parents) or guardian of the truant student. Obviously, the state's objective is to educate its young people so that they will become capable, employable citizens. Although fines and jail terms for parents are prescribed if truancy becomes chronic, most states provide for mediation and counseling to return the student to school, and many are seeking positive incentives to combine with the penalties.

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