WorldAugust 21, 2026

truancy

TROO-uhn-see

Definition

The act of staying away from school without permission or a legitimate reason.

Etymology

Derived from the Middle English word 'truant', meaning a vagabond or idler, which likely originated from the Old French 'truant' (beggar). The term evolved to specifically describe the unauthorized absence of a student from school.

In the news

The article describes how expelling a student without offering an alternative placement forces the child into a state of 'enforced truancy', effectively barring them from the public education they are legally required to attend.

When Zero Tolerance Meets Fragile Ground: How a Ninth-Grader Was Pushed Out of the Classroom and Into the Mississippi Courts

Read the full article ↗

Substack

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