Dear Ward 8 Residents:

On Friday, March 11th, a public hearing was held to discuss a critical piece of legislation I introduced, B24-0428 - School Attendance Amendment Act of 2021. This legislation seeks to improve school attendance, reducing truancy and chronic absenteeism.

The purpose of this legislation is to redefine daily attendance as being present 60 percent of the full instructional day (60/40 rule) from the current 80 percent of the full instructional day (80/20 rule).

A study conducted by Attendance Works found that “Students who live in communities with high levels of poverty are four times more likely to be chronically absent than others often for reasons beyond their control. Such [reasons] as unstable housing, unreliable transportation, and a lack of access to health care.”

The 80/20 rule disproportionally affects chronically at-risk students. 

• 44.2% of at-risk students are chronically absent compared to 17.4% of students who are not considered at-risk
• 42.4% of chronically absent students are SNAP eligible compared to 21.6% of not SNAP eligible students.

This legislation aims to account for these justifiable and verifiable excuses for a student being late or absent from school.

To be clear, I do not take absenteeism lightly. Students must be present and engaged to learn. However, I also believe that students should not be penalized for reasons beyond their control. 
 

Regards, 



 Councilmember Trayon White, Sr.