As Arizona Students Head Back to School, Gallego Introduces Bill to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism
PHOENIX – As students across Arizona head back to school, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) this week introduced the Keeping Our Students in School Act to help school districts reduce chronic absenteeism.
“Education allowed me to live my American dream. Now, as a dad, I want all Arizona kids to have that same opportunity. But we are currently leaving an entire generation behind,” said Rep. Gallego. “I’m proud to introduce this bill that will give schools the resources they need to ensure students are in the classroom and able to learn.”
A student is typically considered chronically absent if they are absent from school for more than ten percent of school days by the end of the year. In Arizona, the percentage of chronically absent students was 28 percent in the most recent year on record, more than double the rate of the school year before the pandemic.
Impacts of chronic absenteeism include a dramatically increased likelihood of dropping out of high school, an increase in missed early learning milestones, and an increased risk of poverty, diminished health, and involvement with the criminal justice system.
To address this problem, the Keeping Our Students in School Act would create a competitive grant program for local education agencies (LEAs) to fund proven absenteeism-reduction interventions, including:
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Providing student transportation to and from school.
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Conducting student home visits and wellness checks.
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Creating student mentorship programs.
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Investing in absenteeism monitoring software or other tools.
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Hiring specialized instructional support personnel.
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Conducting learning loss assessments.
Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.
The legislation comes after, in May, Rep. Gallego sent a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona calling on the Department to do more to address the issue of chronic absenteeism.