City Council advances bill directing study of chronic absences in Baltimore City Schools

Council members on the Baltimore City Council Education, Youth and Older Adults Committee voted to advance City Council Bill 250002, a study ordinance intended to identify root causes of chronic student absences in Baltimore City Schools and propose solutions involving city agencies, transportation providers and other partners.

The ordinance, sponsored by Councilman Mark Conway (Fourth District), asks Baltimore City Public Schools to produce a report analyzing drivers of chronic absence for school year 2024–25 and to propose interagency recommendations. The committee added technical amendments and cleared the bill for second reader after a recorded voice vote in which seven members voted yes and none opposed.

Why it matters: Committee sponsors said the study will help the city target limited resources — from school‑based attendance teams and community school coordinators to transit adjustments and housing supports — to areas with the greatest need. Committee members and agency witnesses repeatedly linked attendance to students’ access to school resources, transportation reliability and out‑of‑school factors such as housing and employment stability.

Committee chair Councilman John Bullock opened the hearing by calling attendance “a critical issue for our city” and said the bill aims to “explore the root causes of student absences to better identify solutions.” Sponsor Mark Conway noted state figures showing high chronic‑absence rates and framed the bill as an effort to identify interventions the city and partner…