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Senate panel hears witnesses on chronic absenteeism, community schools and wraparound supports
Summary
The Senate Education Committee held an hour-long hearing focused on chronic absenteeism, where advocates, school leaders and community-school providers urged more wraparound services, earlier interventions and statewide supports to reduce prolonged student absences.
Senator Vin Gopal, chair of the Senate Education Committee, opened the hearing Wednesday by prioritizing a discussion on chronic absenteeism and federal policy concerns affecting schools. The committee heard testimony from Advocates for Children of New Jersey, community-school operators in Trenton, school principals and statewide education associations.
Advocates for Children of New Jersey outlined the scope of the problem. "New Jersey's current 16.6 chronic absenteeism rate is better than most," said Isaiah Fudge, director of Positive Youth Development Policy and Advocacy for Advocates for Children of New Jersey, citing state data. He said that of 1,371,921 students enrolled statewide in 2022–23, 219,507 missed 18 or more school days that year — the threshold commonly used to define chronic absenteeism.
The advocates traced causes to poverty and basic needs: lack of childcare, transportation, food insecurity and untreated health problems. Nina Peckman, staff attorney at Advocates for Children of New Jersey, said unaddressed chronic health and…
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