Punished for Missing School: Families of Disabled Students Caught Between Truancy Laws and Unmet Needs

Students with disabilities are about 36% more likely to experience chronic absenteeism than students without disabilities, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Parents of autistic and disabled students say they are being forced into an impossible choice: send struggling children into school environments they believe are unsafe or inappropriate, or risk truancy enforcement, court involvement and accusations of educational neglect.

As schools across the United States continue grappling with rising absenteeism rates following the pandemic, some families of children with disabilities say they are increasingly being pushed into punitive attendance systems that treat complex educational, behavioral and medical struggles as truancy violations rather than signs that additional support may be needed.

Parents of autistic students, children with anxiety disorders, behavioral disabilities, sensory processing challenges and other support needs report receiving warning letters, court summons…