It must be so frustrating for you and the school that Small doesn't understand the implications of playing truant and won't discuss it rationally. Hopefully the palavar and sanctions that her behaviour caused will be enough to stop her doing it again.
Tremendously frustrating. She has played truant once before from a lesson - hid under the stair well for 45 minutes - but getting off the school site is new and worrying. And she got into a lot of trouble last time, but all that completely slipped her mind when she got it into her head to try again.

*sigh*