SF 942: School attendance reporting requirement to a local welfare agency and appropriation - Minnesota

2nd Engrossment → 3rd Engrossment · 6 edits · Apr 1, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates Minnesota's truancy laws to strengthen protections for children with disabilities and clarify reporting requirements. It expands the definition of a 'habitual truant' to include children aged 12 to 17 (previously 13 to 17) and mandates that schools cannot terminate enrollment for nonresident students with disabilities unless specific educational assessments are completed. The law now requires schools to convene special education teams within ten days of a truancy notice for these students. Additionally, mandatory reports to welfare agencies must now specify 'full school day' absences rather than just 'seven days,' and child welfare responses must be provided in partnership with county attorneys.

Scope change

The bill expands the age range for habitual truancy definitions to include 12-year-olds and clarifies that 'seven days' refers to 'full school days' in reporting requirements.

DEFINITION

The definition of a 'habitual truant' was modified to include children aged 12 to 17, whereas the previous version applied to children under 17 (effectively starting at 13).

REQUIREMENT

Schools are now required to convene an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team within 10 school days of a truancy notice for children with disabilities to assess the link between their disability and truancy.

Mandatory and voluntary reports to welfare agencies must now specify that the child has at least seven 'full school day' unexcused absences, clarifying the threshold for intervention.

Child welfare responses for truancy reports must now be provided in partnership with a county attorney's office, child protections services, or community partners.

ELIGIBILITY

Schools are prohibited from terminating the enrollment of nonresident students with disabilities at the end of the school year unless the required IEP team meeting has occurred.

ENFORCEMENT

When a child's truancy continues despite services, the county attorney's office must now determine the response path assignment instead of the local welfare agency.

1st Engrossment → 2nd Engrossment · 3 edits · Mar 24, 2025

MINOR

The bill updates the definition of 'habitual truant' to remove the age cutoff for elementary students, now applying the definition to all children under 17 regardless of school level. It also removes the specific exclusion regarding parental compliance from the definition of educational neglect related to habitual truancy. Additionally, the mandatory reporting requirement for unexcused absences was simplified by removing the phrase 'or truancy' and focusing solely on the risk of educational neglect.

Scope change

The scope of the habitual truancy definition was expanded to include elementary school students without a specific age minimum, while the scope of the educational neglect exception was narrowed by removing the clause that allowed parents to rebut the presumption of neglect based on their own compliance with school laws.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'habitual truant' was modified to remove the 'under the age of 12' restriction for elementary school children, making the definition apply to all children under 17 who meet the absence criteria.

The definition of 'habitual truant' in the context of educational neglect was modified to remove the clause stating that the presumption of neglect is rebutted if the parent complied with compulsory instruction laws.

ENFORCEMENT

The mandatory reporting requirement was modified to remove the mention of 'truancy' as a risk, focusing the report solely on the risk of 'educational neglect'.

Introduction → 1st Engrossment · 3 edits · Feb 24, 2025

MINOR

This bill update expands the definition of a 'habitual truant' to include children under 12 years old, broadening the scope of who can be flagged for truancy. It also adds Tribal social services agencies to the list of entities required to receive reports and provide support services, ensuring Indigenous communities are included in the child welfare response system. Finally, the funding for these programs is now directed to the Commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families instead of the Commissioner of Human Services.

Scope change

The bill now applies to children under age 12 who are absent from school without excuse, whereas it previously only covered children aged 12 to 17.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'habitual truant' was changed to include children under 12 years of age, in addition to the existing age range of 12 to 17.

ELIGIBILITY

Tribal social services agencies are now explicitly included as recipients of mandatory reports and providers of child welfare services alongside local welfare agencies.

FISCAL

The appropriation for child welfare response grants was transferred from the Commissioner of Human Services to the Commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families, and Tribal agencies are now eligible to receive these grants.

School attendance reporting requirement to a local welfare agency and appropriation

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