MN HF3827

School districts must require written verification from parents or legal guardians for reasons for student absences, and must state this requirement in their school attendance policy.

School district clerks and authorized officers must keep records of both excused and unexcused absences and report absence data to the commissioner in accordance with new statute section 127A.22.

Commissioner must establish a reporting system requiring districts and charter schools to report annually: number of chronically absent and excessively absent students, chronic absence rates, average excused and unexcused absences with reasons, and percentage of students absent at various thresholds (up to 10%, 10-29%, 30-49%, 50%+).

Reported attendance data must be disaggregated by grade band (K-5, 6-8, 9-12), gender, race/ethnicity, English learner status, disability status, homeless status, and free/reduced-price meal eligibility, with results posted on the department website.

Principal evaluations must now include assessment of longitudinal data on student attendance and identification of principals' efforts to address causes of student absenteeism.