Florida lawmakers return to Tallahassee on Tuesday to begin this year’s legislative session. Among the many bills on the docket are several focused on school attendance, according to News4JAX sister station WKMG in Orlando.
Chronic absenteeism disproportionately affects children from low-income families and communities of color, contributing to achievement gaps in education. This bill shifts focus from punishment to support to improve outcomes for students.
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In Florida, children between the ages of 6 and 16 are required to attend school, with school districts responsible for enforcement. Parents must justify absences, evaluated against district policies.
Truancy is a significant issue across Central Florida, where six counties—Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola and Volusia—have rates above the state average for students missing 21 or more days.
To intervene early, legislators are considering HB 1181 and SB 1190, which would create a mandatory alert system. This system would require school districts to notify parents when students reach truancy levels.
Teachers would be required to report students with more than five unexcused absences in a month, 10 in 90 days, or if a student misses 10 percent of school in the first 45 days.
The Florida State Board of Education would be required to adopt a statewide attendance policy. Additionally, out-of-school suspension as a punishment for attendance issues would be prohibited.