Keep Students in School Act of 2016

Summary: Keep Students in School Act of 2016 This bill establishes a grant program through which the Department of Education (ED) shall assist local educational agencies in carrying out one or more of the following activities:  establishing an attendance program; funding after-school programs and recreational activities; establishing a teacher training and development program that focuses on issues relating to racial inequality and poverty;  if applicable, making a zero tolerance policy more compatible with the goals of student retention and engagement; establishing a student absence policy with respect to at-risk children; collaborating with local agencies and social workers to address issues facing at-risk children; providing parents of at-risk children with resources and support; establishing or expanding a mentoring program; or providing schools with licensed social workers. ED shall provide technical assistance to grantees upon request.  In addition, ED shall establish a task force to develop a comprehensive work plan to address the hardships that disadvantaged youth may face in attending school and attaining academic success. The task force shall: (1) coordinate interagency efforts to address such hardships, (2) assess the effectiveness of federal programs aimed at addressing&nbsp;those hardships, and&nbsp;(3) develop a plan that implements improvements to such federal programs and incorporates positive youth development practices.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Keep Students in School Act of 
2016''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Program Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Education shall establish 
        a program under which grants are awarded to local educational 
        agencies to enable the local educational agencies to carry out 
        the activities under subsection (c).
            (2) Duration and renewal.--A grant under this section shall 
        be awarded for a period of 5 years and may not be renewed.
    (b) Application.--A local educational agency desiring a grant under 
this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
reasonably require.
    (c) Use of Funds.--A local educational agency that receives a grant 
under this section may only use the grant funds to carry out one or 
more of the following:
            (1) Attendance program.--Establish an attendance program 
        that enables--
                    (A) each elementary school and secondary school 
                served by the local educational agency to collect and 
                maintain attendance records electronically;
                    (B) each such school to share the data collected 
                under subparagraph (A) with the local educational 
                agency and other elementary schools and secondary 
                schools served by the local educational agency; and
                    (C) the local educational agency to use the data 
                collected under subparagraph (A) to inform attendance 
                intervention strategies.
            (2) After-school programs and recreational activities.--
        Improve student engagement by funding after-school programs and 
        recreational activities.
            (3) Teacher training and development program.--Establish a 
        teacher training and development program that focuses on issues 
        relating to racial inequality and poverty.
            (4) Student retention and engagement policy.--In the case 
        of a local educational agency that has a zero tolerance policy, 
        making such policy more compatible with the goals of student 
        retention and engagement.
            (5) Student absence policy.--Establish a policy that 
        requires each elementary school and secondary school served by 
        the local educational agency--
                    (A) to make personal phone calls to the parents of 
                an at-risk child the same day that such child's absence 
                is noted; and
                    (B) when needed, and if possible, to provide 
                parents of at-risk children with an interpreter and a 
                translation of written communications.
            (6) Youth violence prevention.--Collaborate with local 
        agencies and social workers that focus on youth violence 
        prevention to address issues facing at-risk children.
            (7) Resources and support for parents of at-risk 
        children.--Provide parents of at-risk children with resources 
        and support, including--
                    (A) providing school counseling services for 
                parents and their at-risk children; and
                    (B) collaborating with other organizations in the 
                community to facilitate access to resources and 
                support, including fulfilling any needs with respect to 
                at-risk children created by budget deficits.
            (8) Mentoring program.--Establish or expand a mentoring 
        program under which--
                    (A) a community volunteer who--
                            (i) attends a secondary school is paired 
                        with an at-risk child who attends an elementary 
                        school; or
                            (ii) has obtained at least a high school 
                        diploma, or its equivalent, is paired with an 
                        at-risk child who attends either an elementary 
                        school or a secondary school; and
                    (B) such community volunteer meets with the at-risk 
                child for at least 5 hours each week that school is in 
                session to provide homework assistance and encourage 
                attendance.
            (9) Licensed clinical social workers.--Provide at least one 
        licensed social worker for elementary schools and one licensed 
        social worker for high schools served by the local educational 
        agency.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    The Secretary shall provide technical assistance, upon request, to 
local educational agencies receiving a grant under section 2 to 
implement the goals of such section.

SEC. 4. TASK FORCE ON ADDRESSING HARDSHIPS OF DISADVANTAGED YOUTH.

    (a) In General.--Not later than December 31, 2017, the Secretary 
shall enter a memorandum of understanding with other appropriate heads 
of Federal agencies regarding the establishment of a task force to 
develop a comprehensive work plan to address the hardships that 
disadvantaged youth may face in attending elementary school and 
secondary school and attaining academic success, including the 
following:
            (1) Home environment factors.--Hardships within the home, 
        including domestic violence and drug or alcohol abuse in the 
        home.
            (2) Economic factors.--Economic hardships, including 
        poverty, single-parent homes, frequent housing mobility, 
        parents who work multiple jobs, lack of adequate transportation 
        to school, lack of affordable childcare, and working students.
            (3) School environment factors.--Hardships within the 
        academic environment, including overcrowded classrooms, 
        discriminatory attitudes of teachers and administrators, 
        hostility from other students, lack of flexibility regarding 
        the cultural or learning needs of the student, and inconsistent 
        procedures for dealing with truancy.
            (4) Personal characteristics factors.--Personal hardships, 
        including learning difficulties, drug and alcohol abuse and 
        mental health issues.
    (b) Duties.--The task force shall--
            (1) coordinate interagency efforts to address the hardships 
        described in subsection (a);
            (2) assess the effectiveness of Federal programs aimed at 
        addressing such hardships;
            (3) develop a comprehensive work plan that identifies and 
        implements improvements to the Federal programs assessed under 
        paragraph (2) by--
                    (A) eliminating ineffective programs;
                    (B) redirecting resources; and
                    (C) consolidating the efforts of successful 
                programs; and
            (4) incorporate positive youth development practices into 
        the work plan developed under paragraph (3).
    (c) Reports.--
            (1) Preliminary report.--Not later than 3 years after the 
        date on which the task force is established under this section, 
        the task force shall submit to the appropriate committees of 
        Congress a preliminary report that shall include--
                    (A) the assessment conducted under subsection 
                (b)(2); and
                    (B) the work plan developed under subsection 
                (b)(3).
            (2) Progress report.--Not later than 3 years after the date 
        on which the task force submits the preliminary report under 
        paragraph (1), the task force shall submit to the appropriate 
        committees of Congress a report regarding the progress and 
        effectiveness of implementing the work plan developed under 
        subsection (b)(3).
            (3) Final report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on 
        which the task force submits the progress report under 
        paragraph (2), the task force shall submit to the appropriate 
        committees of Congress a final report including--
                    (A) the results of implementing the work plan 
                developed under subsection (b)(3); and
                    (B) recommendations on the practices that 
                individual elementary schools and secondary schools 
                should implement to further remove the hardships that 
                disadvantaged youth may face.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2017 through 2028 to carry out this Act.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) At-risk children.--The term ``at-risk children'' 
        includes elementary school and secondary school students who--
                    (A) are subject to grade retention;
                    (B) have poor academic performance;
                    (C) have a high rate of absenteeism;
                    (D) have behavioral problems; or
                    (E) are subject to frequent housing mobility.
            (2) Community volunteer.--The term ``community volunteer'' 
        means an individual who voluntarily offers to mentor an 
        elementary school or secondary school student, without 
        compensation, and--
                    (A) has passed a background check conducted in 
                accordance with procedures established by the Secretary 
                and with applicable State and local laws; or
                    (B) in the event that the individual has failed the 
                background check conducted under subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) has maintained a record free of 
                        criminal infractions for the 5 most recent 
                        calendar years;
                            (ii) has provided at least 2 character 
                        references;
                            (iii) has had no history of violence 
                        against children or animals;
                            (iv) has passed a drug test; and
                            (v) has been approved for purposes of the 
                        mentoring program under section 2(c)(8) by the 
                        local police department.
            (3) Disadvantaged youth.--The term ``disadvantaged youth'' 
        includes at-risk children and elementary school and secondary 
        school students--
                    (A) whose family receives assistance under the 
                program of block grants to States for temporary 
                assistance for needy families established under part A 
                of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 
                et seq.);
                    (B) whose family has an income below the poverty 
                line (as defined by the Office of Management and 
                Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section 
                673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 
                U.S.C. 9902(2))) applicable to a family of the size 
                involved; or
                    (C) who have a history of trauma or abuse, 
                including substance abuse, in the home.
            (4) ESEA terms.--The terms ``local educational agency'', 
        ``parent'', ``elementary school'', ``secondary school'', and 
        ``Secretary'' have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801).