SF1471

The legislative bill S.F. No. 1471 addresses the issue of student dropout in the education system of Minnesota. The key proposals of the bill include:

1. Educational Membership Tracking: It clarifies the criteria for counting a student's membership in a school. Students are counted from the time they enroll until they officially withdraw or are legally excused. If a student, at any age, misses 15 consecutive school days during the regular year or 5 days during summer or special program sessions without being in a structured external learning environment like home or hospital schooling, they will be considered withdrawn.

2. Compulsory Attendance Enforcement: The bill reinforces that these measures do not override the existing compulsory attendance laws that require children to attend school.

3. Notification Obligations: When a student has been absent long enough to be dropped from the rolls (exceeding 15 consecutive school days), the school district is required to inform the Department of Education about the student's status and provide the student's latest contact details.

4. Encouragement to Reenroll: After notifying the Department of Education, the school must reach out directly to the student’s family, using either email or another form of communication, urging them to reenroll the student in school programs.

The bill aims to keep track of student attendance more systematically, promptly address unexplained absences, and actively encourage families to reintegrate students into the school system, thus reducing dropout rates.