The Kentucky House of Representatives approved a bill Thursday that seeks to reduce chronic absenteeism in Kentucky schools.
Sponsor Rep. Jared Bauman, R-Louisville, said he wishes House Bill 611 were not needed, but truancy is an issue across Kentucky. He said 38% of children in his district are chronically absent from school.
“House Bill 611 will ensure we identify truancy as early as possible with a 15-day threshold and report those cases to the county attorney for determination of appropriate court action,” Bauman said.
The bill would only impact students with unexcused absences, Bauman clarified.
Rep. Timmy Truett, R-McKee, is one of the primary cosponsors of HB 611. He filed a floor amendment to specify that if a child has 4 or more unexcused absences while on diversion, the child will immediately be considered to have failed diversion. It would also extend the time of a diversion program from 6 months to 12 months.
The floor amendment also clarifies who would be held responsible for being truant. For kindergarten through 5th-grade students, the parent or guardian would be held responsible.
“Students being in the classroom is that important, and we’ve got to do everything we can to hold who is responsible for (the truancy) accountable,” Truett said.
The House adopted the floor amendment.
Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville, asked Truett what type of complaint a director of pupil personnel would file on the parent or guardian of a kindergarten through 5th-grade student with 15 or more absences. He said it would be educational neglect.
Bojanowski said there are many reasons why a child might be chronically absent outside of being sick or another excused absence. Some children live in homes where parents are going through a divorce and there are custody issues, she said.
“If I thought in my heart that (this bill) would change the behavior and get these kids to school, I would be all for it,” she said. “But what I’m really looking for is how we can get to the root reason why our children aren’t coming to school.”
Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, said she finds HB 611 “very concerning.” She said she understands the intent of the legislation, but fears it would hurt families who are facing transportation issues, among other problems that can take a while to resolve.
“The current system we have is doing what it needs to do,” Herron said, adding the diversion plan Kentucky currently uses is a “national model.”
Several lawmakers spoke in favor of HB 611. Rep. Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, said the amount of allowed unexcused absences is “too lenient,” but he supports HB 611 “wholeheartedly.”
“An essential component of what we’re trying to do with K-12 is get the child in school,” Petrie said. “You cannot educate a child if they’re not there to receive the services.”
Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, said the chronic absenteeism in Kentucky isn’t a problem, but a crisis. He urged his colleagues to support HB 611 because some Kentucky school districts have more than 60% of students chronically absent.
“If these children are not at school, how are they going to have the opportunity to succeed in life?” Tipton said. “Sometimes it comes down to accountability and responsibility.”
The House passed HB 611 by a 79-15 vote.
Rep. Rachel Roarx, D-Louisville, said she voted “no” on HB 611 because she wants to keep as many families as possible out of the court system.
“The court is there in extreme situations, absolutely,” she said. “But we have so many families who are caught in cycles of system involvement and can’t get their head above water.”
House Minority Caucus Chair Cherlynn Stevenson, D-Lexington, voted “yes” on HB 611.
“I think this is needed … I trust our school personnel to know the difference between kids who are being truant versus kids who truly need help and their families need help,” she said, urging for more funding for wraparound services.
HB 611 now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Information from the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission.
