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Door 3 · Truancy

Florida truancy letters, decoded

The Florida attendance ladder in plain words — the triggers, who acts next, and what a parent should put in writing at each step.

Florida's ladder

Compulsory attendance: ages 6 to 15 (Fla. Stat. §§1003.01(8), 1003.26, 1003.27).

The triggers: Pattern trigger at 5 unexcused/unknown absences in a calendar month or 10 in 90 days; habitual truant at 15 unexcused in 90 days after interventions fail.

Step by step

  1. Every unexcused or unknown absence: the principal or designee must contact you for the reason (§1003.26(1)(a)).
  2. 5 in a month / 10 in 90 days: teacher reports a pattern; the principal refers to the child study team, which must schedule a meeting with you (§1003.26(1)(b)). If you don't attend, written recommendations must reach you within 7 days.
  3. The team must try interventions — communication, services, attendance contract — and report to the superintendent only when all reasonable efforts are exhausted (§1003.26(1)(c)–(d)).
  4. Only after the school has complied with §1003.26 can prosecution be considered; a truancy petition under §984.151 must be heard within 30 days.

Mental-health absences: No statewide mental-health-day rule exists in Florida law. A mental-health absence is excused only if your district's policy excuses it.

Parent exposure, honestly: Parent noncompliance after the §1003.26 steps is a second-degree misdemeanor — BUT a bona fide, diligent effort to keep your child in school is an affirmative defense (§1003.27(7)(a)2). Your dated effort log is that defense, on paper.

Run the truancy decoder

Rules checked October 2026 — every rule on this page is cited to its source. Verify day counts against your district's official calendar.

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