Source: http://register.dls.virginia.gov/details.aspx?id=5221
Timestamp: 2019-05-24 16:08:40
Document Index: 336426541

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 7112', '§ 16', '§ 18', '§ 22', '§ 2', '§ 2']

Vol. 32 Iss. 5 (Reproposed Regulation) 8VAC20-730, Regulations Governing The Collection And Reporting Of Truancy-Related Data And Student Attendance Policies November 02, 2015
Title of Regulation: 8VAC20-730. Regulations Governing the Collection and Reporting of Truancy-Related Data and Student Attendance Policies (adding 8VAC20-730-10, 8VAC20-730-20, 8VAC20-730-30).
November 19, 2015 - 11 a.m. - 22nd Floor Conference Room, James Monroe Building, 101 North 14th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. The public hearing will begin immediately following adjournment of the Board of Education business meeting.
Public Comment Deadline: December 2, 2015.
Agency Contact: Dr. Cynthia Cave, Director of Student Services, Department of Education, P.O. Box 2120, Richmond, VA 23218, telephone (804) 225-2818, FAX (804) 225-2524, or email cynthia.cave@doe.virginia.gov.
Basis: Section 22.1-16 of the Code of Virginia authorizes the Board of Education to promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out its powers and duties. The board is responsible for enforcing the compulsory school attendance statutes.
Section 22.1-258 of the Code of Virginia requires each school division to create an attendance plan for any student with five unexcused absences and to schedule a conference with parents after the sixth unexcused absence. Section 22.1-260 B requires reporting conference data to the Superintendent of Public Instruction annually.
Section 4112 of the No Child Left Behind Act (20 USC § 7112) mandates truancy data to be collected at the local level by each school and be reported to the state Department of Education. Data for each individual school will be made public. The aggregated state data results will be reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Purpose: The primary goal of the Board of Education is to set forth definitions for data collection, procedures, and responsibilities of the participants to address nonattendance issues. Enacting these regulations should enhance daily school attendance and decrease referrals to court services for truancy.
The intent of the Board of Education to (i) provide for consistent and accurate data collection and reporting; (ii) improve attendance related policies, procedures, and evidence-based prevention and intervention practices; (iii) enhance school staffs' capability to identify students with nonattendance issues early, intervene and provide support, and manage and monitor case progress; (iv) create a positive impact on the family, the student, school divisions, and court services in their efforts to improve school attendance; (v) increase a student's opportunity to benefit from a quality education in preparation for a career or post-secondary education; (vi) create a climate for improving communication, cooperation, and coordination of services among community service agencies and public systems to address issues manifested in truancy behavior; and (vii) encourage dissemination of information to increase public knowledge of the importance of regular school attendance and these regulations.
Substance: The reproposed regulations are organized into three parts as follows:
1. Part I provides the definition of terms, such as "attendance plan," "excused absence," and "unexcused absence."
2. Part II articulates the procedures and responsibilities for early identification of and intervention with nonattendance behavior and the issues that manifest truancy. This part delineates processes for assisting the student and family in preventing nonattendance and defines the steps to intercede.
3. Part III identifies the attendance data to be reported to the Virginia Department of Education, which includes (i) for each individual student all excused and unexcused absences; (ii) students with five, six or more unexcused absences; (iii) the number of attendance plans developed and conferences scheduled and held; and (iv) the number of petitions made to court or proceedings against parents.
Issues: The proposed regulations pose no disadvantage to the public or the Commonwealth. The proposed regulations will serve to more accurately collect daily school attendance and nonattendance data and guide early identification and intervention processes to remove barriers that disengage a student from school, thus improving school attendance. The procedures in the reproposed regulations align with the Code of Virginia and reflect those requirements.
Students who attend school daily, kindergarten through grade 12, are more likely to graduate. Students who do not attend school regularly are more likely to experience academic failure, school dropout, criminal and violent acts, unemployment, substance abuse, adult criminality and incarceration, unwanted pregnancy, and social isolation. Due to the strong link between truancy and these negative consequences, it is critical to address attendance issues early and effectively.
Summary of the Proposed Amendments to Regulation. The Code of Virginia includes required procedures for intervening with students who have unexcused absences and required truancy data collection and reporting. The Board of Education proposes these regulations to provide: 1) clarifying definitions to help ensure consistency in reported data across school divisions and improved understanding of required truancy procedures, 2) recommended options for satisfying the required procedures for intervening with students who have unexcused absences, and 3) further specificity of the required truancy data.
Estimated Economic Impact. Code of Virginia Section 22.1-258 requires each school division to create an attendance plan for any student with five unexcused absences and to schedule a conference with parents after the sixth unexcused absence ... upon the next unexcused absence by such pupil, the school attendance officer shall enforce compulsory attendance by "(i) filing a complaint with the juvenile and domestic relations court alleging the pupil is a child in need of supervision as defined in § 16.1-288 or (ii) instituting proceedings against the parent pursuant to § 18.2-371 or 22.1-262...." Further, Section 22.1-260.B requires that "At the end of each school year, each public school principal shall report to the division superintendent the number of students by grade level for whom a conference was scheduled as required by § 22.1-258. The division superintendent shall compile such grade level information for the division and provide such information to the Superintendent of Public Instruction annually."
According to the Department of Education (Department), there has been some uncertainty of the options available to local school divisions in satisfying the required procedures for intervening with students who have unexcused absences. Additionally, there has been inconsistency in the truancy data reported by school divisions. The proposed clarifying definitions and listing of recommended options produce no cost and will likely produce some benefit in addressing the problem of truancy. The proposed additional specificity of truancy data to be reported will be beneficial in that it will likely produce more consistent and accurate information for use by analysts and policymakers. It may require a very small addition in staff time for some school divisions, but this potential very small cost would likely be significantly smaller than the benefit of having more accurate and consistent data.
Businesses and Entities Affected. The proposed amendments affect the 132 public school divisions in the Commonwealth.
The Department of Planning and Budget (DPB) has analyzed the economic impact of this proposed regulation in accordance with § 2.2-4007.04 of the Administrative Process Act and Executive Order Number 14 (10). Section 2.2-4007.04 requires that such economic impact analyses include, but need not be limited to, the projected number of businesses or other entities to whom the regulation would apply, the identity of any localities and types of businesses or other entities particularly affected, the projected number of persons and employment positions to be affected, the projected costs to affected businesses or entities to implement or comply with the regulation, and the impact on the use and value of private property. Further, if the proposed regulation has adverse effect on small businesses, § 2.2-4007.04 requires that such economic impact analyses include (i) an identification and estimate of the number of small businesses subject to the regulation; (ii) the projected reporting, recordkeeping, and other administrative costs required for small businesses to comply with the regulation, including the type of professional skills necessary for preparing required reports and other documents; (iii) a statement of the probable effect of the regulation on affected small businesses; and (iv) a description of any less intrusive or less costly alternative methods of achieving the purpose of the regulation. The analysis presented above represents DPB's best estimate of these economic impacts.
The reproposed regulations establish criteria for truancy data collection and a procedure for intervening with a student who has unexcused absences. The regulations provide definitions to promote consistent data collection and reporting among school divisions and to the Virginia Department of Education, recommend options for satisfying the required procedures for intervening with students who have unexcused absences, and direct a referral to court services when a student is noncompliant with compulsory attendance law.
VA.R. Doc. No. R11-2535; Filed October 6, 2015, 8:37 a.m.