WASHINGTON – In advance of the DC Council’s consideration of the Truancy Reduction for Student Success Act of 2024, the Showing Up for Students Amendment Act of 2024, Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy Reduction Amendment Act of 2024 and Utilizing Partnerships and Local Interventions for Truancy and Safety (UPLIFT) Amendment Act of 2024, Marja Plater, Senior Counsel, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, issued the following statement:

“Truancy is a complicated crisis beyond the classroom. Our safety net has failed our children with chronic absenteeism. Many of these children face challenges at home. Some students cannot safely travel to and from school. Other students must deal with housing and food insecurity. Trauma and mental health are factors in truancy.

“The answer is not to put parents or children in jail. The DC Council should resist the temptation to build a new school-to-prison pipeline. Many proposals before the DC Council will create another counterproductive era of mass incarceration.

“Legislative solutions should enlighten us about the root causes of truancy and bring more resources to classrooms. Students who miss school need our help, not condemnation.”