I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9307 
To establish a competitive grant program for reducing the student absence 
rate of certain local educational agencies, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 6, 2024 
Mr. GALLEGO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish a competitive grant program for reducing the 
student absence rate of certain local educational agen-
cies, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Keeping our Students 
in School Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM TO REDUCE CHRONIC STUDENT 
ABSENCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than October 1 of the 
first fiscal year after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Education shall establish a program to 
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award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible local edu-
cational agencies for reducing the chronic absence rate of 
such eligible local educational agencies by carrying out any 
of the activities described in subsection (d). 
(b) APPLICATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant 
under this section, an eligible local educational agen-
cy shall submit to the Secretary an application in 
such form, at such time, and containing such infor-
mation as the Secretary determines appropriate, in-
cluding the contents described in paragraph (2). 
(2) CONTENTS.—An application for a grant 
under this section shall contain the following: 
(A) The chronic absence rate of the eligible 
local educational agency. 
(B) A description of any programs and re-
sources to reduce the chronic absence rate of 
the eligible local educational agency that are in 
place at the time such application is submitted. 
(C) A plan for how grant funds awarded 
under this section to the eligible local edu-
cational agency would be used to reduce the 
chronic absence rate of the eligible local edu-
cational agency. 
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(D) The estimated cost of implementing 
the plan described in subparagraph (C). 
(E) At least one letter of support explain-
ing why grant funds should be awarded under 
this section to the eligible local educational 
agency written by— 
(i) a local government official that 
serves a geographic area that is served by 
the eligible local educational agency, in-
cluding a mayor or chief executive officer 
of a unit of local government; or 
(ii) the head of the eligible local edu-
cational agency. 
(c) DURATION; RENEWAL.—A grant awarded under 
this section shall be for a period of 1 year. The Secretary 
may renew a grant awarded under this section to an eligi-
ble local educational agency for 1 or more additional 1- 
year grant periods. 
(d) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—An eligible local edu-
cational agency that receives a grant under this section 
shall use the grant funds for 1 or more of the following 
activities: 
(1) Providing transportation services for stu-
dents traveling to and from schools served by the eli-
gible local educational agency. 
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(2) Performing visits at places of residence of 
a student who was absent for at least 10 percent of 
the school days in the most recent school year for 
the purpose of evaluating— 
(A) the well-being of the student; and 
(B) whether the number of school days 
missed by the student has resulted in any learn-
ing loss by the student, including identifying 
any risk factors present in the lifestyle of the 
student that may contribute to learning loss. 
(3) Establishing student mentorship programs. 
(4) Establishing partnerships with State agen-
cies to reduce the chronic absence rate of the eligible 
local educational agency that received the grant. 
(5) Acquiring software or other data tools de-
signed to monitor student absence. 
(6) Recruiting and retaining specialized instruc-
tional support personnel. 
(7) Any other activities related to student ab-
sence that the Secretary determines appropriate. 
(e) REPORTING.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date that an eligible local educational agency receives a 
grant under this section, the eligible local educational 
agency shall provide a report to the Secretary that con-
tains any information reasonably required by the Sec-
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retary, which includes a description of how grant funds 
awarded under this section to the eligible local educational 
agency were used to reduce the chronic absence rate of 
the eligible local educational agency. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) 
CHRONIC
ABSENCE
RATE.—The 
term 
‘‘chronic absence rate’’, used with respect to a local 
educational agency, means the quotient resulting 
from dividing— 
(A) the total number of students served by 
such local educational agency who were absent 
for at least 10 percent of the school days in the 
school year for which the most recent data is 
available from the Consolidated State Perform-
ance Report administered by the Office of Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education of the De-
partment of Education, by 
(B) the total number of students served by 
such local educational agency in such school 
year. 
(2) ELIGIBLE LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.— 
The term ‘‘eligible local educational agency’’ means 
a local educational agency that has a chronic ab-
sence rate of 0.2 or more. 
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(3) LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCY; SPECIAL-
IZED
INSTRUCTIONAL
SUPPORT
PERSONNEL.—The 
terms ‘‘local educational agency’’ and ‘‘specialized 
instructional support personnel’’ have the meanings 
given the terms in section 8101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801). 
Æ 
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