The bill proposes to repeal the existing section 167.034 of Missouri law and replace it with a new section that addresses school absences for children under the age of seventeen. Under the new provisions, if a child accumulates fifteen or more unexcused absences in a school year without a physician's note, the school district is required to schedule a meeting with the child, their school counselor, and their parent or guardian to develop a plan to prevent further absences. If the parent or guardian fails to attend this meeting or if the child continues to accrue unexcused absences contrary to the plan, the school district must report these absences to the children's division of the state department of social services within one week. Additionally, the bill mandates that upon receiving a report of unexcused absences, the children's division must conduct a home visit and notify the child's parent or guardian about the absences. If the child accrues further unexcused absences after this notification, it will be considered a violation of the law, and the parent or guardian may face penalties as outlined in section 167.061. The bill emphasizes the importance of communication and intervention to address school attendance issues and aims to hold parents accountable for their child's attendance.

Statutes affected:
Introduced (5776H.01): 167.034