HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Senator Tracy Pennycuick (R-24) introduced Senate Bill 984 to address the alarming rise in school truancy and chronic absenteeism across Pennsylvania.
Truancy continues to be a statewide problem plaguing our school system, with attendance dropping from 85% in 2018-19 to just 78.1% in 2023-24. In some districts, the numbers are far worse. If students aren’t in school, they simply are not learning.
“With the new school year starting, we need to increase accountability of parents, students, and schools; coordinate supports for students; and provide additional tools for the courts in the truancy process,” said Pennycuick. “To emphasize the responsibility for regular school attendance to parents and students, my legislation will reform the mid-year transfers for truant students from school districts to cyber schools. In addition, it will require cyber charter schools to share real-time attendance and academic data with the sending school district. All students will follow the same uniform truancy process, regardless of whether they attend school in person or virtually.”
The Department of Education will be required to track and publicly report truancy rates while promoting early intervention services that connect families with local resources. These services will help families build better routines and habits at home to support regular attendance.
Additionally, the bill improves support for at-risk students. The Departments of Education and Human Services will develop protocols to help identify students at risk of falling behind before they fall into chronic absenteeism.
Further, the bill will allow cases to continue after the school year ends to monitor truant students in the new school year. Grading repeated habitual truancy as a third-degree misdemeanor will allow for court, probation, and Children and Youth Services (CYS) involvement in addressing the needs of habitually truant students.
“Truancy is not just a legal issue, it’s an educational crisis with long-term consequences for student achievement, family well-being, and community safety,” noted Pennycuick.
CONTACT: Lidia Di Fiore (215) 541-2388