(1) “Court” means either the Justice of the Peace Court or Family Court.

(2) “Parent” means a biological or natural parent, an adoptive parent, a person legally charged with the care or custody of a person under 18 years of age, a person who has assumed responsibility for the care of a person under 18 years of age, or a person acting as a caregiver pursuant to the provisions of § 202(f) of this title who has enrolled the pupil in grades kindergarten through 12 of a public school in this State.

(3) “Principal” means the highest administrative official of a public school and includes a person or group of persons designated by the principal to deal with school attendance.

(4) “Record” means written materials and exhibits forwarded to a court by the school with a referral under this subchapter or admitted into evidence at a court hearing.

(5) “School year” means the period of attendance determined by a pupil's local school board pursuant to § 1049 of this title, or in the case of a charter school as determined by the board of directors of the charter school consistent with the school's charter, and any additional academic improvement activities identified in § 2702(g) of this title that a pupil may be required to attend during or following such period of attendance.

(6) “Student” means a person who is enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12 of a public school of this State.

(7) “Truant” means a student who has been absent from school without valid excuse for more than 3 school days during a school year.

(8) “Valid excuse” means an excuse which is approved in the regulations of the district board of education of the school district in which the pupil is or should be enrolled pursuant to the provisions of this title, or in the case of a pupil enrolled in a charter school, by the board of directors of the charter school.