Senate committee hears bill to standardize how districts record students after 10 consecutive absences

The Senate Education Committee on March 10 heard testimony on Senate Bill 315, a measure that would require the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to review state requirements for determining when a student is considered actively enrolled after 10 or more consecutive absences, recommend statutory or rule changes, and develop a common coding system for absences that school districts must implement.

The bill authorizes ODE to submit a report to the Legislative Assembly and the State Board of Education summarizing the review and any recommendations. Chris, speaking for the bill, said the measure “requires ODE to develop a common coding system for student absences” and to “require school districts to implement the system by the 2026–27 school year.”

Senator Suzanne Weber (R–District 16), a long-time educator and sponsor of related efforts, told the committee that chronic absenteeism is widespread: “the most recent data shows that over 1/3 of Oregon students are categorized as chronically absent,” and that missing the equivalent of roughly 16½ days — about 10% of a 165-day school year — can have an “avalanche effect” on a student’s progress.

Stacy Michaelson, testifying for the Oregon School Boards Association, said the bill’s value is in capturing the variety of reasons students miss school — from chronic illness to family travel — and tailoring supports accordingly. “If we are really going to target our supports to improve student attendance, then we need to be mindful of what is actually driving the reasons why students are not in school,” Michaelson said.

Lawmakers pressed for clarity about the data ODE already holds and the project timeline. Senator Ramos urged a faster timeline, saying that if a report is due far in the future, children continue to be affected in the meantime. Michaelson and other witnesses noted the technical and fiscal complications of changing enrollment rules because districts’ average daily membership (ADM) figures affect school funding. Michaelson said the department has treated the “10 day drop” carefully because changes can affect the state school fund formula and allocations.

Committee members and witnesses discussed the potential for misalignment with related measures in the House and the need for consistent coding across bills. Several lawmakers said preliminary collection of fractured local data would be helpful to accelerate solutions; Senator Weber and others called for data gathering that can be used to identify where targeted, low-cost interventions (for example, family supports) would help.

The committee took no final action on SB 315 during the hearing. Proponents asked that the bill’s review and recommended coding be aligned with related bills in the Legislature so districts and ODE are not working to incompatible standards.

The hearing record shows stakeholders urging attention to both speed and caution: speed so students benefit sooner, and caution because coding and enrollment rules interact with school funding.