NY A09173

Establishes LEAP-NY, a three-year pilot program to reduce chronic absenteeism through outreach, family engagement, and connecting students with academic and non-academic support services

Limits eligibility to the 100 largest school districts outside New York City, with 15 districts selected competitively based on severity of absenteeism, proposed engagement strategies, and data collection capacity

Requires participating districts to create outreach teams including family engagement specialists, social workers, and county social services representatives to conduct home visits and case management for students with 5+ consecutive or 10+ total unexcused absences

Mandates that teams assess underlying causes of absenteeism (transportation, housing, health, caregiving) and develop written re-engagement plans for each chronically absent student in consultation with families

Requires annual district reporting on absenteeism rates disaggregated by demographics, and commissioner reports to the governor and legislature at one and two years after implementation with recommendations on statewide expansion