COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION and
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING
on the

B21-0508, “School Attendance Clarification Amendment Act of 2015”

on
Thursday, January 21, 2016
9:30 a.m., Hearing Room 500, John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004

Councilmember David Grosso, chairperson of the Committee on Education, and Chairman Phil Mendelson, chairperson of the Committee of the Whole announces the scheduling of a joint public hearing on B21-0508, “School Attendance Clarification Amendment Act of 2015.” The hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 21, 2016 in Hearing Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building.  

The stated purpose of B21-0508 is to amend the District of Columbia’s compulsory school attendance laws to clarify agency responsibilities and attendance reporting requirements, require schools to obtain a written explanation verifying the reason for an absence within five days after a student’s return to school and prohibit the suspension, expulsion, or unenrollment of a minor covered by the District’s compulsory attendance requirement due to an unexcused absence or late arrival to school. This legislation also amends the protocol for law enforcement officers who come in contact with a minor they believe to be truant and amending educational institution’s referral requirement for CFSA, Court Social Services, and the Office of the Attorney General after a minor accrues a certain number of unexcused absences.

Those who wish to testify are asked to telephone the Committee on Education, at (202) 724-8061, or email Jessica Giles, Committee Assistant, at jgiles@dccouncil.us, and provide their name, address, telephone number, organizational affiliation and title (if any) by close of business Tuesday, January 19, 2016.  Persons wishing to testify are encouraged, but not required, to submit 15 copies of written testimony.  Witnesses appearing on his or her own behalf should limit their testimony to three minutes; witnesses representing organizations should limit their testimony to five minutes.  

If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record.  Written statements should be submitted to the Committee on Education, Council of the District of Columbia, Suite 116 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004.  The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on February 4, 2016.

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