AB 1672 – Truancy Prevention: School Attendance Review Boards
Sacramento – The State Senate has approved Assemblymember Chris Holden’s legislation to collect more complete records on absences and intervention strategies to help identify the effectiveness of school truancy programs. AB 1672 is part of a package of measures sponsored by the Attorney General to address chronic truancy. The vote was 29 to 4.
“With this bill we are hoping to block the cycle of truancy and juvenile courts. If schools aren’t tracking which students are missing you won’t be able to effectively fix the problem,” said Assemblymember Holden. “When students aren’t in class, they aren’t learning; so, let’s get the data and get these kids back on track.”
If enacted, School Attendance Review Boards will have to report important information like the number of students referred to them, how that student’s issues are addressed and whether that student is doing better. It also requires that information to be disaggregated by subgroups like race, gender, low income status and English language learner status.
AB 1672 will show on the district, county and state level how large the truancy problem is and how we are addressing it. The bill has been amended to lower costs, lower any burden on schools, and keep the information local where it is needed the most.