An act relating to addressing and preventing chronic absenteeism

Section numbering reorganized: findings and legislative intent moved from Sec. 1-2 (beginning) to unnumbered sections at the end of the bill; operative statutory amendments renumbered from Sec. 3-8 to Sec. 1-6.

Legislative header information added in the passed version: 'Introduced by Committee on Education,' a Date field, Subject line, and a Statement of Purpose paragraph describing the bill's intent.

The governor's signature date ('Date Governor signed bill: June 8, 2026') and formal act number ('No. 122') present in the enacted version are absent from the passed version, as expected since the passed version predates gubernatorial approval.

New Section 1 (Findings) and Section 2 (Legislative Intent) establish that chronic absenteeism should be addressed through preventative, restorative, and assistance-based measures, and that truancy proceedings should be reserved for cases where school-based interventions have failed. This frames the entire bill around a graduated response model.

Section 7 (Home Study Program) narrows the scope of the Agency of Education's required report. The House version directed recommendations specifically 'to improve oversight of home study programs and to ensure home study participants' compliance with attendance requirements.' The enacted version simply directs 'recommendations for updates to Vermont's home study program law' without specifying the attendance/oversight focus.

The House-passed version contained a detailed 13-item list of specific reasons a superintendent could excuse an absence (illness, family emergency, quarantine, medical appointments, religious holidays, legal activities, driving exams, college visits, placement proceedings, homelessness transitions, military activities, hazing/harassment/bullying incidents, and other approved reasons). The enacted version removes this entire list and replaces it with a general provision that the superintendent may excuse absences for 'emergencies or absence from town' and may request justification, deferring specifics to the model policy under Section 1124.

Section 1124's list of consulting organizations was expanded to include the National Association of Social Workers (Vermont Chapter), the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs, and the Department for Children and Families Family Services Division. The model policy review frequency was changed from 'annually' to 'at least every three years.'

The House-passed subsection (b) of Section 1123, which allowed superintendents to excuse up to 10 cumulative school days for preplanned family commitments or activities with advance notice, is removed in the enacted version.

Section 1126 now requires the superintendent to notify Centralized Intake and Emergency Services of the Department for Children and Families' Family Services Division in addition to the truant officer when a student accumulates 20 or more unexcused absences, creating a new child welfare notification pathway.

Throughout the bill, the term 'person having the control' is replaced with 'parent or guardian,' narrowing the class of individuals who can be held legally responsible for a child's attendance. Related language shifts include changing 'allows the child to become enrolled' to 'enrolls the child' and 'shall cause the child to attend' to 'ensure that the child attends.'

A new excused absence reason was added at section 1123(a)(12): absences due to incidents of hazing, harassment, or bullying. This gives students a clear path to have such absences excused rather than counted toward truancy.

Section 1124(a) was expanded to require the model policy include specific provisions for addressing the absence of a child with a disability (as defined in subdivision 2942(1)), guidance emphasizing tailored responses for students struggling with safety and emotional issues, emphasis on emotional/academic/social support for reintegration of returning students, and protocols to respond effectively to bullying and harassment including best practices for reentry into education spaces.

Throughout sections 1121, 1122, 1127, and 1129, the phrase 'person having the control' was replaced with 'parent or guardian,' aligning the operative language with the new definition in section 1120(4) that expands 'parent or guardian' to include students who are adults, independent students, or unaccompanied homeless youth.

Added standard official bill metadata: 'Introduced by Committee on Education,' a date field, a subject line ('Education; attendance and discipline; chronic absenteeism; truancy'), and a statement of purpose paragraph summarizing the bill's intent.

Page count changed from 12 to 13 pages due to the added metadata block at the top of the document. All statutory text (sections 1120-1129, 1162(e), and sections 3-6) is substantively unchanged.