Chronic Absenteeism Reduction Act

Summary: 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&nbsp;address chronically absent students (i.e., students who miss 10% or more of school days). 

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.''.