Truancy is any time there is an unexcused absence. There is no reason to have an unexcused absence; mental health days are important and can be called a sick day. Make sure you are making the calls to the office or sending notes to get every absence excused. In response to the school's letter, you could tell them, "Thanks for letting me know what the policy is. I will be more aware going forward." Most districts will first have the person at the school site who managed attendance reach out to the parent for a discussion and then escalate to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).
The SARB will meet, and the school will share the attendance record. The family can explain why the child has been absent, and solutions and goals are discussed to move forward. The point is to try to find solutions that the district could implement to get the child to school. The case could eventually go to law enforcement if it gets very extreme. Schools usually want 95-98% attendance, so that's missing no more than seven days in a school year. Three unexcused absences or three tardies over 30 minutes can trigger truancy actions. Different districts may have varying policies, so please check your specific district.
If attendance issues are caused by your child refusing to attend school, see more information in this article.
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