California Gov. Gavin Newsom has played his hand by ending the controversial policy that punished parents for their children's chronic truancy, once sponsored by former Vice President Kamala Harris, Politico reports
Newsom signed the repeal bill AB 461 to end the 2011 policy supported by Harris when she held the title of state attorney general, which presented misdemeanor charges for parents if their children missed school on a repeated basis. With a "chronic truant" being defined as a child absent from class for 10% or more school days a year, Harris once argued that the measure was necessary to prevent youth from becoming "a menace to society hanging out on the corner."
The controversy behind the policy followed her throughout her political career, including Harris' tenure as a state senator. Critics highlighted how the measure criminalized parents, with media coverage showing mothers being put in handcuffs. Following local outrage, Harris dialed back her position in 2019, expressing her regret. "I regret that that has happened," she once said.
"And the thought that anything I did could have led to that, because that certainly was not the intention."
However, several critics of the policy admitted that the bill's demise had "nothing to do with our former VP." Bay Area Democrat Patrick Ahrens, who wrote the bill, said his own childhood experiences drove his motivation.
In other states, chronic truancy is a continuous problem. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of chronic truancy for students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade in Louisiana has increased, according to Louisiana Illuminator. Data from the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana reveals the truancy rate across the state sat at an average of 36% but rose over 40% since the 2020-21 school year.
Some of the blame is on the difference in how truancy is defined at the state and federal levels. In Louisiana, truancy is described as having unexcused absences for five or more school days each semester. However, the U.S. Department of Education defines chronic absenteeism as students who miss 10% or more of their school days due to unexcused absences.
Back in the Golden State, truancy has decreased somewhat, but it is still considered a problem. Data from the Los Angeles Times highlights that chronic absenteeism decreased from its 2021-22 peak in 2021-2022, but it continues to be 50% higher than before the pandemic. With an estimated 48 million public school students between kindergarten and 12th grade, nearly one in four -- 11 million students -- miss out on school without an excuse.