A chronic truant has amassed ___or more unexcused absences from beginning of first quarter and __ or more from beginning of second quarter to end of year.

• A. 3, 7
• B. 5, 10
• C. 6, 8
• D. 4, 9

Answer: (B)

Chronic truancy is defined by specific unexcused-absence thresholds that trigger intervention. The idea is to catch students early and then respond if the pattern continues. If a student has five or more unexcused absences from the start of the first quarter, that signals a developing truancy issue and prompts early outreach and intervention efforts. If the issue isn’t resolved and the student accumulates ten or more unexcused absences from the beginning of the second quarter through the end of the year, that reflects a sustained pattern requiring stronger actions. These thresholds balance early detection with the recognition that a longer pattern later in the year warrants a higher level of response. The other options don’t align with these typical policy thresholds, which use five in the first quarter and ten from the second quarter onward.