Pupil attendance: chronic truancy.

(1) Existing law defines a truant as any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without valid excuse 3 full days in one school year, or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the schoolday without a valid excuse on 3 occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof. This bill would define a chronic truant as any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuing education who is absent from school without valid excuse for 10% or more of the schooldays in one school year, from the date of enrollment to the current date, provided that the appropriate school district officer or employee has complied with specified provisions of law. (2) Existing law requires school districts to establish, maintain, and destroy pupil records according to regulations adopted by the State Board of Education. Existing law requires these regulations to establish state policy as to what items of information shall be placed into pupil records. This bill would require that, if a pupil is determined to be a chronic truant, this information be placed in the pupil's permanent record. Because this requirement would increase the duties of school districts, it would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.