An Act To Improve Attendance at Public Elementa1y Schools
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0150
Committee Amendment CA_A_S35 (Senate)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §3271, 20-A MRSA §3272

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"/)[ "to S.P. 37, L.D. 150, Bill, "An Act To Improve 
Attendance at Public Elementa1y Schools" 
Amend the bill by inserting before section 1 the following: 
'Sec.1. 20-A MRSA §3271, sub-§1-A is enacted to read: 
1-A. Attendance of persons 5 years of age or older and under 7 years of age. A 
person 5 years of age or older and under 7 years of age who is enrolled in and who has 
not withdrawn from a public day school is required to attend that school during the time it 
. . 
. 
1s m session. 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §3271, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2007, c. 667, §4, is 
further amended to read: 
2. 
Alternative instruction. 
Alternative instruction may be substituted for 
attendance in a day school in the following cases when approved by the school principal. 
A person 5 years of age or older and under 7 years of age is not required to meet the 
requirements of this subsection. 
A. 
The person is enrolled in an approved special education program. 
B. 
The person obtains equivalent instruction through alternative learning or in any 
other manner arranged or approved by the commissioner. 
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §3272, sub-§2, as corrected by RR 2011, c. 2, §17, is 
amended to read: 
2. Truancy. A person is truant if: 
A. 
The person is required to attend school or alternative instruction and has 
completed grade 6 under this chapter and has the equivalent of 10 full days of 
unexcused absences or 7 consecutive school days of unexcused absences during a 
school year; 0f 
B. The person is required to attend school or alternative instruction and is at least 7 
years of age and has not completed grade 6 under this chapter and has the equivalent 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A "to S.P. 37, L.D. 150 (5-3~ 
of 7 full days of unexcused absences or 5 consecutive school days of unexcused 
absences during a school year._;_m: 
C. The person is required to attend school pursuant to section 3271, subsection 1-A 
and has not completed grade 6 and has the equivalent of 7 full days of unexcused 
absences or 5 consecutive school days of unexcused absences during a school year.' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment clarifies that the provisions of the bill relating to persons attending 
schools outside of the unorganized territory also apply to a person who resides in the 
unorganized territory. The amendment provides that unless a person in the unorganized 
territory 5 years of age or older and under 7 years of age who is enrolled in a public day 
school withdraws from the school, the person is required to attend the school during the 
time it is in session. It provides that students in the unorganized territory who are at least 
years of age and have not completed grade 6 and are enrolled in a public day school are 
subject to the same provisions regarding truancy as students who are at least 7 years of 
age and have not completed grade 6 who are required to attend a public day school. It 
provides that a person in the unorganized territory 5 years of age or older and under 7 
years of age is not required to meet the alternatives to attendance requirements set forth in 
the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 3271, subsection 2. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT