Keeping Students in School

That’s why Senate Republicans have worked to reduce the chronic absenteeism rate in Indiana.

The state recently found that 17.8% of students were considered chronically absent from school during the 2023-24 school year. While this number is slightly lower than previous years, it is still too high.

This year, I supported a new law that requires schools to reach out to parents for a meeting if a student meets certain criteria, including being on track to miss too much school.

Last month, the Interim Study Committee on Education approved several recommendations to continue getting to the bottom of the student absenteeism problem, which include:

• Study the rationale used by local schools to differentiate between excused and unexcused absences;
• Study the basis for student suspensions or expulsions categorized as “other” by schools;
• Consider preventing districts from suspending or expelling students who are chronically absent; and
• Have schools use the state’s early warning dashboard for students at risk of dropping out.

To learn more about what the state is doing to lower chronic absenteeism, click here.