Educate Parents and Students

• Most US States have compulsory school attendance laws. Different states maintain different requirements on what age must attend, how long they must attend, and how many hours they must attend. It is the responsibility of the truancy officer to inform and educate parents and students about these laws and issue warnings when the laws are violated.
  
  

Investigate Absences

• If a child has an unexcused absence or has too many excused absences, the truancy officer must investigate the reason behind the absences, to determine if it is allowed under compulsory attendance laws.
  
  

Enforce Attendance Laws

• The truancy officer must interpret and enforce state attendance laws. This includes issuing warnings to violators, filing formal complaints about violators, educating and re-educating parents and students about applicable laws, and, if necessary, attending and participating in court hearings about repeat offenders.
  
  

File Complaints

• Formal complaints must be filed with the court and school. This normally occurs only after warnings have been issued but no corrective action has been taken.
  
  

Court Hearings

• If the court holds a hearing about attendance issues, the truancy officer is obligated to attend. The officer represents the school district and cooperates with the court in providing information, recommending punishment, and monitoring school attendance afterward.