IC 20-20-8-8 defines habitual truancy to include students absent ten (10) days or more from school within a school year without being excused.  Chronic absenteeism includes students absent from school for ten percent (10%) or more of a school year for any reason.

Under IC 20-33-2-25, a child who is habitually absent from school shall be reported to an intake officer of the juvenile court or the department of child services. Under IC 20-33-8-12, a child who is designated as a habitual truant may be subject to additional penalties or consequences such as ineligibility for a drivers’ license or learners’ permit.

Excused absences are defined as legitimate reasons for being out of school.  These include:

All absences require submission of written documentation by the parent / guardian / legal custodian to verify the absence on the day that the student returns to school.

An absence related to the illness or incapacity of the student may be certified or documented by a doctor’s note or a parent’s note.  However, the number of absences which may be documented by a parent note, without an accompanying doctor’s note, is limited to three (3) absences per student per school year.  After these three absences have been used, a note from a doctor or licensed health care provider must be provided to certify and document the student’s illness or incapacity; otherwise, the absence will be noted as unexcused.

Absences due to family funeral required submission of obituary and / or written documentation from the funeral home.

Under certain circumstances, the law requires the school to authorize the absence and excuse of a student’s:

In each of these circumstances, the student is excused from school and is not recorded as absent or penalized in any way by the school.