Chronic Absenteeism Reduction Act
This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow local educational agencies to use specified federal funds for mentoring programs and other activities that address chronically absent students (i.e., students who miss 10% or more of school days).
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1864 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1864
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow
local educational agencies to use Federal funds for programs and
activities that address chronic absenteeism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 3, 2017
Mr. Ryan of Ohio (for himself and Ms. Herrera Beutler) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and
the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow
local educational agencies to use Federal funds for programs and
activities that address chronic absenteeism.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Chronic Absenteeism Reduction Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Students who are chronically absent--meaning they miss
10 percent or more of the school year--are more likely to
experience hardships later in life and 68 percent less likely
than their peers to graduate.
(2) The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights
Data Collection found that over 6.8 million students were
chronically absent during the 2013-2014 school year. This makes
up 14 percent of all students.
(3) Chronically absent students are more likely to become
high school drop outs. This leaves them prone to living in
poverty, suffering from diminished health, and being involved
in the criminal justice system later in life. Nineteen percent
of high school students are chronically absent.
(4) The Department of Education has found that, ``Chronic
absenteeism is widespread'' and ``Research suggests the reasons
for chronic absenteeism are as varied as the challenges our
students and families face--including poor health, limited
transportation, and a lack of safety--which can be particularly
acute in disadvantaged communities and areas of poverty.''.
(5) A report by the Everyone Graduates Center found that
chronic absenteeism can stem from a wide range of often
overlapping internal and external factors. External factors
include homelessness, family dysfunction, and transportation;
while internal factors include health, fear of bullying,
concern for safety, and not valuing daily school attendance.
Therefore, it is critical to have cross-sector collaborations
and multifaceted strategies that incorporate parents, public-
private partnerships, and community partners.
(6) Students of color are disproportionately chronically
absent compared to their White peers. Latino students are 11
percent more likely to be chronically absent, African-American
students are 36 percent more likely, and American Indian and
Pacific Islander students are over 65 percent more likely
according to the Department of Education's Office of Civil
Rights Data Collection.
(7) Studies have shown that mentors can help reduce chronic
absenteeism. Students who regularly meet with mentors are 52
percent less likely than their peers to skip a day of school
and 37 percent less likely to skip a class. In one program,
previously chronically absent students in 2012-13 with
``Success Mentors'' gained 51,562 additional days of school
compared to previously chronically absent students without
mentors at comparison schools; and 92,277 additional days
compared to comparison school students without mentors during
the 3-year initiative.
(8) A report on the impact of one mentoring program found
that it reduced school absenteeism by half. In another study,
youth showed a gain of more than a week of class attendance.
(9) Studies estimate that 9.4 million young people who are
at risk need a mentor.
SEC. 3. INTERVENTIONS TO ADDRESS CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
Section 4108(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7118(5)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (H)(iii) by striking ``or'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (I), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(J) interventions for students who miss 10
percent or more of school days (as determined at any
time during a school year), which may include--
``(i) implementing data collection systems
that assist schools in collecting and tracking
attendance data;
``(ii) creating data-sharing and
confidentiality agreements between schools and
partner agencies or community organizations
working with students;
``(iii) partnering with local health,
transportation, and service providers;
``(iv) integrating school personnel for
mentoring;
``(v) carrying out mentoring programs
that--
``(I) are structured, managed, and
appropriately match students with
screened and well-trained adult
volunteers for group and one-on-one
mentoring relationships;
``(II) encourage mentors and
students to meet frequently;
``(III) are intended to satisfy a
student's need for involvement with a
caring and supportive adult who serves
as a positive role model;
``(IV) emphasize the importance of
regular school attendance; and
``(V) provide and facilitate the
necessary student support services;
``(vi) partnering with community
organizations that offer mentoring services
that consist of--
``(I) screening and training of
adult volunteers;
``(II) matching children and youth
with the appropriate adult volunteer
mentors;
``(III) support and oversight of
the mentoring relationship;
``(IV) establishing goals and
evaluation of outcomes for mentored
children; and
``(V) planned and ongoing
coordination between mentors and school
personnel to identify individual
student challenges causing chronic
absenteeism in an effort to connect
mentees to appropriate school personnel
or resources such as access to
transportation or medical care;
``(vii) cross-age peer mentoring programs
under which an older youth serves a mentor for
a younger student for the purpose of guiding
and supporting the student's academic, social,
and emotional development;
``(viii) school reorganization aimed at
improving relationships between students and
staff, including strategies for recognizing and
modeling good attendance, such as mentors
greeting students each day and promptly
contacting a parent or mentor if the student is
absent;
``(ix) identifying issues that lead to
school absences;
``(x) meeting with students and parents to
engage students and improve performance;
``(xi) arranging for teacher home visits to
develop relationships among students, parents
and schools;
``(xii) connecting students to existing
school resources and activities, including
school counseling services and existing
community-based organizations;
``(xiii) using mentors to serve as a bridge
between students, parents, and schools;
``(xiv) implementing evidence-based
restorative justice strategies aimed at
reducing suspensions in order to keep students
in school; or
``(xv) providing personnel training to
build positive school climates and promote
social-emotional learning.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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