S.B. No. 991 amends the Education Code to include chronically absent and truant students as students at risk of dropping out of school. The bill expands the definition of "student at risk of dropping out of school" to include those who are identified as chronically absent, defined as students who miss more than 10% of the required school time, and those who fail to attend school without excuse for 10 or more days within a six-month period. This inclusion aims to enhance the identification and support for students who may be at risk of dropping out due to attendance issues.

Additionally, the bill mandates that school districts and open-enrollment charter schools report data on truancy and chronic absenteeism through the Public Education Information Management System. This includes the number of chronically absent students and those who fail to attend school without excuse, disaggregated by whether they are receiving instructional services. The Texas Education Agency is also required to aggregate and publicly share this data annually, thereby increasing transparency and accountability regarding student attendance and dropout risks. The provisions of this act will take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 29.081, Education Code 48.009 (Education Code 29, Education Code 48)
Senate Committee Report: Education Code 29.081, Education Code 48.009 (Education Code 29, Education Code 48)
Engrossed: Education Code 29.081, Education Code 48.009 (Education Code 29, Education Code 48)
House Committee Report: Education Code 29.081, Education Code 48.009 (Education Code 29, Education Code 48)
Enrolled: Education Code 29.081, Education Code 48.009 (Education Code 29, Education Code 48)