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B26-0275 • 2025

Pilot Truancy Reduction Emergency Amendment Act of 2025

Pilot Truancy Reduction Emergency Amendment Act of 2025

Children Education
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Mendelson
Last action
2025-07-04
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official bill text contains conflicting dates: it requires school selection in August 2024 and reports in March/August 2025, but the act was approved on June 26, 2025. This suggests a possible typo in the source document regarding the year of implementation.

Pilot Truancy Reduction Emergency Amendment Act of 2025

This law creates a temporary program in five high schools to refer students with many unexcused absences to the Department of Human Services for help and tracking.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Mayor to pick five secondary schools that had more than 50% truancy rates during the 2023-2024 school year.
  • Mandates these schools to refer students aged 14 through 17 with 15 unexcused full-day absences to the Department of Human Services within two school days.
  • Exempts participating schools from other truancy rules for minor students between ages 14 and 17 during this pilot program.
  • Orders the Department of Human Services to publish a preliminary report by March 31, 2025, and a final report by August 15, 2025.
  • Requires reports to list common reasons for absences, services used, and data comparing student attendance, grades, and arrest records before and after referrals.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Five secondary educational institutions in the District of Columbia selected by the Mayor.
  • Students aged 14 through 17 enrolled in those schools who accumulate unexcused absences.
  • The Department of Human Services, which provides interventions and tracks student outcomes.

Terms To Know

Truancy
Unexcused absence from school without a valid reason.
Pilot program
A temporary test of a new plan or law before making it permanent.
Delinquency status
Whether a minor student was arrested by law enforcement during the time period studied in the report.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act is an emergency measure and expires no later than September 24, 2025.
  • The text does not specify which five schools will be chosen until the Mayor identifies them by August 12, 2024.

Bill History

  1. 2025-07-04 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Act A26-0091 Published in DC Register Vol 72 and Page 007554, Expires on Sep 24, 2025

  2. 2025-06-26 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Enacted without Mayor's Signature with Act Number A26-0091, Expires on Sep 24, 2025

  3. 2025-06-26 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Returned from Mayor

  4. 2025-06-10 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Transmitted to Mayor, Response Due on Jun 25, 2025

  5. 2025-06-03 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Retained by the Council

  6. 2025-06-03 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Legislative Meeting

  7. 2025-06-02 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    B26-0275 Introduced by Chairman Mendelson at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Pilot Truancy Reduction Emergency Amendment Act of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED ORIGINAL.
ANACT
D.C. ACT 26-91
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
JUNE 26, 2025
Toamend,onanemergencybasis,section7ofArticleIIofAnActToprovideforcompulsoryschoolattendance,forthetakingofa schoolcensusintheDistrictofColumbia,andforotherpurposestodirecttheMayortoestablishatruaneypilotforthepurposeofreferringstudentswithunexcusedabsencestotheDepartmentofHumanServicesanddocumentingattendanceandacademicoutcomesofstudentsreceivinginterventionsfromtheDepartmentofHumanServices.
BEIT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Thatthis
actmay be citedasthe“PilotTruancyReductionEmergency Amendment Actof 2025”.
See.2.Section7ofArticleIlofAnActToprovideforcompulsoryschoolattendance,forthetakingofaschoolcensusintheDistrictofColumbia,andforotherpurposes,effectiveSeptember19,2013(D.C.Law20-17;D.C.OfficialCode§38-208),isamendedbyaddinganewsubsection(c-1)toreadasfollows:“(¢-1)(1)(A)ByAugust12,2024,theMayorshallidentify5secondaryeducationalinstitutionsinthe Districtthathad a truancyrategreaterthan 50% inthe 2023-2024 schoolyear
toparticipateinatruancypilotwiththeDepartmentofHumanServices(“DHS”)duringSchoo!Year 2024-2025.
“(B)TheMayorshallnotifytheidentifiededucationalinstitutionsoftheirparticipationinthetruancypilotatleast10businessdaysbeforethefirstdayofinstructioninSchoo!Year2024-2025.Thenoticeshallincludeappropriateagencycontacts,timelines,andproceduresforcomplyingwithparagraph(2)ofthissubsection.“(2)The5secondaryeducationalinstitutionsidentifiedpursuanttoparagraph(1)ofthissubsectionshallrefereachstudentwhois14yearsofagethrough17yearsofagetoDHSnolaterthan2schooldaysaftertheaccrualof15unexcusedfullschooldayabsenceswithinaschoolyear.“(3)ByMarch31,2025,DHSshallpublishapreliminaryreport,andbyAugust15,2025,DHSshallpublishafinalreportthat:
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
“(A) Describestheinterventionsand servicesprovidedthroughthe
truancypilot;
“(B) Providesthe5 most common reasonsforunexcusedabsencesforthe
studentsreferredto DHS, such as housinginstability,transportationissues,or medical
emergencies;
“(C) Presentsaggregatedataon the5 most common truancyintervention:
servicesor programs thatstudentsreferredtoDHS utilized;and
“(D)Providesananalysisthatcompares:
“()Theattendanceoutcomes,academicperformance,and
delinquencystatusof studentsreferredtoDHS tothestudents’attendanceoutcomes,academic
performance,anddelinquencystatusduringthesametimeperiodinthepriorschoolyear:
“(i)Theattendanceoutcomes,academicperformance,and
delinquencystatusof studentsreferredto DHS beforeand aftertheDHS referralduringthe
applicabletimeperiodforSchoolYear2024-2025;and
“(iii)The attendanceoutcomesandacademicperformanceof
educationalinstitutionsparticipatinginthetruancypilotwiththeattendanceandacademic
performanceduringSchoolYear2024-2025ofnon-participatingsecondaryeducational
institutionsthataresocio-demographicallysimilartoparticipatingeducationalinstitutions.
“(4)Forpurposesofparagraph(3)ofthissubsection,theterm“delinquency
status”means whethera minor studentwas arrestedby a law enforcementofficialduringthe
time periodanalyzedinthereport.
“(5)Educationalinstitutionsparticipatinginthetruancypilotshallbeexempt
from therequirementsof subsection(c)ofthis sectionforminor studentswho are 14 through17
yearsofage.”.
Sec.3.Fiscalimpactstatement.TheCounciladoptsthefiscalimpactstatementoftheBudgetDirectorasthefiscalimpactstatementrequiredbysection4aoftheGeneralLegislativeProceduresActof1975,approved
October16,2006(120Stat.2038:D.C.OfficialCode§1-301.47a).
Sec.4. Effectivedate.
ThisactshalltakeeffectfollowingapprovalbytheMayor(orintheeventofvetobytheMayor, actionby the Council to overridethe veto),and shallremain in effectforno longer than
90 days afterthe applicabilitydate of thisact,as provided foremergency actsof the Council of
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
theDistrictof Columbia insection412(a)ofthe Districtof Columbia Home Rule Act,approved
December 24, 1973 (87 Stat.788; D.C. OfficialCode § 1-204.12(a)).
1 Hypph —
irman
Councilofthe DistrictofColumbia

Districtdf Columbia.
APPROVEDJUNE 26, 2025

{ITEMONCONSENTCALENDAR
[X]ACTION
[x]VOTEDATE
[x]VoicevoTE
RECORDEDVOTEONREQUEST
‘ABSENT
[] ROLL CALL VOTE — Result
COUNCILOF THEDISTRICTOF COLUMBIA
WASHINGTON,DC,20004
FinalReading
June3,2026
‘Approved

cretaryfo ES :
[CounciMember[Aye[Nay[NV[AB[Rec[CouncitMember[Aye[Nay[NV[AB[Rec|CouncitMember[Aye
ChairmanMendelson|X Henderson__| x Pinto x
‘Alen x LewisGeorge| x R.White x
Bonds x McDuffie x
Felaer x Nadeau x
Frumin x Parker x
X-IndicateVote ‘AB~Absent NV--Prosent,NotVoting Rec-Recused
CERTIFICATIONRECORD