It tends to be forgotten that though the statistics for truancy remain pretty constant from year to year, the same young people are not involved. Starting to play truant is one step along the road to dropping out of school and to disengaging from the educational system. Once lost, a student is lost for good with dreadful consequences for his or her future life. There is a need for urgency, which is why I am very concerned by the apparent lack of urgency I see.