Truancy

School refusal is understood to mean a recurring or prolonged and usually unexcused absence from class. Occasional truancy can also be school refusal.

Refusal to go to school is an administrative offence that can be punished with a fine, substitute for a non-profit work requirement, for pupils after the age of 14.

Parents who do not ensure that underage pupils regularly attend classes can also act in violation of the law.

The action against school refusal is the task of the school in cooperation with the school authority, the youth welfare offices and possibly also the family courts.

Unlike the term "school refusal", the concept of "school-distanced behaviour" is based on observable characteristics:

• The "behaviors" that can be observed in the adolescents. These are retreat, disturbance, truancy and exit. The transitions between the categories are fluid, mixed forms are to be expected in empirical reality.
• At the "place" of behavior, which is depicted on a continuum between inside and outside the school. While the "retreat" and "disturbance" can rather be assigned to the inner-school area, the "truancy" and "exit" refer more to extracurricular places.

To counter school-distanced behavior is a pedagogical task that requires a high degree of cooperation between school and youth welfare.