Full Text
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Res. 1623 Introduced in House (IH)]
118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1623
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the rate of chronic absenteeism in American schools must urgently be reduced, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 19, 2024
Mr. Wenstrup submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the rate of chronic absenteeism in American schools must urgently be reduced, and for other purposes.
Whereas chronic absenteeism is defined as absence on at least 10 percent of school days for any reason; Whereas there has been a sharp rise in the rate of chronic absenteeism in primary and secondary students across the United States since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic; Whereas Congress is concerned that chronic absenteeism in American schools has a critical impact on the well-being and future of our Nation, and that the House of Representatives supports efforts by educators to address the high rate of truancy; Whereas chronic absenteeism has a proven negative impact on academic achievement trajectories and leads to learning loss, higher dropout rates, poor nutrition, delayed social development, and impaired health outcomes; Whereas these issues are greatly exacerbated when the absences occur in earlier grade levels; Whereas the issue demands additional attention, with elevated truancy rates remaining durable beyond the end of the coronavirus pandemic; Whereas poor transportation, school culture, instability at home, and other factors all deserve additional collaboration from families, schools, and elected officials; Whereas education professionals have developed and are implementing policy tools to effectively deal with this epidemic in K-12 education; and Whereas the House of Representatives sees fit to promote continued coordination, and additional dialogue, investment, and attention to be paid to this issue: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives encourages collaboration between State and local elected officials, educators, administrators, and other stakeholders to reduce-- (1) the rate of chronic absenteeism in American schools; and (2) the negative impact of chronic absenteeism on students and communities across the United States.