Maine § 20-A §5001-A Compulsory attendance

Maine Statutes

§ 20-A §5001-A — Compulsory attendance

Maine § 20-A §5001-A

Title 20-AEDUCATION

Part 3ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Ch. 211ATTENDANCE

This text of Maine § 20-A §5001-A (Compulsory attendance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 20-A, § 20-A §5001-A (2026).

Text

Attendance at school shall be required of persons in the State as follows.

1.Requirement. Persons 6 years of age or older and under 17 years of age shall attend a public day school during the time it is in regular session. 1-A. Attendance of persons 5 years of age or older and under 6 years of age. A person 5 years of age or older and under 6 years of age who is enrolled in and who has not withdrawn from a public day school is required to attend that school during the time it is in session.

2.Exceptions. Attendance at school shall not be required of the following:

3.Alternatives to attendance at public day school. Alternatives to attendance at public day school are as follows. A person 5 years of age or older and under 6 years of age is not required to meet the requirements of this subs

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Attendance at school shall be required of persons in the State as follows.
1.
Requirement.
Persons 6 years of age or older and under 17 years of age shall attend a public day school during the time it is in regular session.
1-A.
Attendance of persons 5 years of age or older and under 6 years of age.
A person 5 years of age or older and under 6 years of age who is enrolled in and who has not withdrawn from a public day school is required to attend that school during the time it is in session.
2.
Exceptions.
Attendance at school shall not be required of the following:
3.
Alternatives to attendance at public day school.
Alternatives to attendance at public day school are as follows. A person 5 years of age or older and under 6 years of age is not required to meet the requirements of this subsection.
4.
Excusable absence.
A person's absence is excused when the absence is for the following reasons:
5.
Adult responsibility.
An adult having a person of compulsory school age under that adult's control shall cause the person to attend school as provided in this section.
6.
Noncompliance.
7.
Purpose.
Compulsory education is essential to the preservation of the rights and liberties of the people and the continued prosperity of our society and our nation. Maintaining regular student attendance is necessary to achieve the goal of an educated citizenry. Public schools should ensure the rights of access for all school-age persons to an appropriate educational opportunity and, when necessary, should develop alternatives to regular school curricula for those children and youth at risk of becoming dropouts and those who may have left school.

Legislative History

PL 1983, c. 806, §49 (NEW). PL 1983, c. 862, §56 (AMD). PL 1985, c. 123, §§1,2 (AMD). PL 1987, c. 114 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 415, §§13-17 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 537 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 602, §§1,2 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 602, §4 (AFF). PL 1991, c. 622, §G3 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 622, §§G4,31,33 (AFF). PL 1995, c. 610, §2 (AFF). PL 2003, c. 181, §1 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 533, §1 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 688, §§H1,2 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 688, §H3 (AFF). PL 2007, c. 111, §1 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 451, §§3-5 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 330, §§1-3 (AMD). PL 2015, c. 448, §9 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 235, §§4, 5 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 508, §§6-8 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 562, §2 (AMD). PL 2025, c. 390, Pt. A, §§32-34 (AMD).