Yes, inherent contradictions can tend to be 'complex'

Wendy K. Kleinman reported yesterday in The Oklahoman ('Some Oklahoma students shirk school') that the Tulsa Public Schools have reported "no truancies to the state for any grades for at least the last two years, according to state data."

Sharolyn Sorrels, the district's director of educational indicators, said it's a "complex issue."

Tulsa abides by the state's definition of truancy, under which students with unexcused absences are only counted truant if their parent, guardian or school doesn't know where they are when they miss school, she said.

"Tulsa has a process in place where each absence is verified with a parent. We don't have any children that we don't know where they are," Sorrels said of the district's 42,000 students. Still, Sorrels also said district high schools last year had 731 dropouts -- adolescents who would have had to be truant before they became classified as dropouts."