Date of Submission

12-15-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Cassandra Sedelmaier

Keywords

Truancy, Community-Based Interventions, Parental Perspectives

LCSH

School attendance, Community mental health services, Parents-Attitudes

Abstract

This research investigates Connecticut parents' perspectives on effective strategies for addressing truancy. By examining stakeholder attitudes and beliefs, the study aimed to understand the relationship between perceptions of responsibility for truancy prevention and support for punitive versus non-punitive intervention approaches. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on truancy rates, current legislation and interventions have proven inadequate. This study assessed Connecticut adults' recommendations for truancy policy reforms and explored the potential for community-based interventions to enhance family engagement and reduce reliance on court involvement and punitive sanctions. IBM SPSS was used to analyze an existing dataset from the Tow Youth Justice Institute, which surveyed 796 Connecticut adults about their opinions and recommendations regarding status offenses, including truancy. Results demonstrated an association between community responsibility beliefs and opposition to punitive measures, with 91.6% of community-oriented respondents favoring non-punitive approaches compared to 81.5% of others. School responsibility, parent responsibility, and personal experience with truancy showed no significant associations with intervention preferences. Overall, 84.4% of respondents favored non-punitive measures, indicating broad public support for rehabilitative approaches. These findings suggest that Connecticut truancy reform efforts should emphasize community-based partnerships, restorative practices, and preventative interventions that align with public values, while deprioritizing court involvement and punitive sanctions that lack public support.

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