Jeffrey French,
After completing some research I found 2 ordinances that encourage parental/guardian involvement to help resolve truancy issues.
-Kansas City, MO, recently adopted a truancy ordinance that empowered school officials to solicit truancy citations to students. The students and their legal guardian would then be required to attend a General Court where the court would act as an “intervention” for students and their parents. The goal is to work with parents in ensuring this issues do not continue.
http://fox4kc.com/2014/12/05/city-ordinance-amendment-could-make-a-difference-with-truancy-troubles/
If you have further questions about this ordinance you can reach out to ICMA Member and Kansas City, City Manager, Troy Schulte. You can find his contact info here:
http://icma.org/en/icma/knowledge_network/people/contact/378643
-Merrillville, IN, also adopted a similar ordinance. They still require police to issue citations, but during the court hearing the student and parents have 2 options if convicted. They can either pay the fine or have the fines waived by entering a counseling program to discover why the issue exists and discuss possible solutions.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/merrillville-adopts-truancy-ordinance/article_79dae992-47fd-5af8-bda2-fe787f3879a4.html
Hopefully these resources are helpful!
Douglas Shontz
Knowledge Network Research and Content Development Associate
