AN ACT CONCERNING A GRANT PROGRAM TO COMBAT TRUANCY.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2007) (a) The Department of Education, in consultation with the youth futures committee established under section 1 of public act 06-182, shall develop, within available appropriations, the Youth Engaged in Schools demonstration project. For purposes of the project, the department shall provide competitive grants to up to five local or regional boards of education for school districts that have drop-out rate that exceed the state average to establish a school and community-based truancy prevention initiative. The initiative shall be designed to (1) address the needs of students who exhibit patterns of unexcused absences from school, (2) assist school districts to implement school wide positive discipline policies and practices that lead to a decrease in truancy, (3) decrease school drop-out rates, decrease school suspension and expulsion rates, and (4) increase social, emotional, life skills and academic competencies of students. A local and regional board of education may apply to the department for a grant at such time and in such manner as the Commissioner of Education prescribes.

(b) Recipients of grants pursuant to this section shall use the grant money for purposes, including, but not limited to:

(1) Implementation of research-based school-wide positive discipline policies and practices;

(2) Implementation of a method to monitor school attendance;

(3) Enhancement of any existing in-school truancy prevention programs;

(4) Enhancement of after school and summer school programs;

(5) Implementation of school and community-based intervention programs that target families with elementary school students who exhibit persistent patterns of absenteeism or truancy;

(6) Provision of tutoring, mentoring and other academic or life skills initiatives for students at risk of being truant;

(7) Establishment or enhancement of research-based reading instruction as described in the report by the Early Reading Success Panel established pursuant to section 10-221j of the general statutes and on-site teacher training and coaching in such instruction as described in subsection (d) of section 10-265f of the general statutes;

(8) Provision of substance abuse prevention and intervention services and referrals, if appropriate;

(9) Involvement of parents or guardians in all appropriate truancy prevention and intervention activities, with meaningful incentives for parental responsibility and participation;

(10) Assurance that students face appropriate sanctions for truancy;

(11) Development of means to address new students' anxiety and difficulties in making the transition to a new school;

(12) Provision of in-school alternative education initiatives for chronic truants; and

(13) Provision of opportunities for youth employment, job shadowing and other job readiness activities.

(c) Each local or regional board of education that receives a competitive grant under this section shall (1) provide (A) monthly truancy reports to the Department of Education, and (B) annual detailed data on school attendance and an analysis of the effectiveness of the program components in achieving the purposes of the program as described in subdivisions (1) through (4), inclusive, of subsection (a) of this section, and (2) demonstrate participation and collaboration with the chief of police, youth service bureau or other organizations serving youth, the business community and other community-based service networks, for the provision of services to prevent truancy and promote and keep youth engaged in school.

(d) Not later than January first, annually, the Department of Education shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education and appropriations regarding the efficacy of the program developed in accordance with this section.

Statement of Purpose:

To establish a competitive grant program to combat truancy.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]