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Council extends truancy‑referral pilot to allow DHS final report and avoid lapse
Summary
The Council extended emergency temporary legislation for a pilot that refers chronically absent secondary students to the Department of Human Services, keeping five high schools in the pilot while DHS finalizes its report.
The Council approved PR26‑218, extending a pilot program that refers secondary students ages 14 to 17 with chronic unexcused absences to the Department of Human Services (DHS). The pilot, which the Council designed to test the mayor’s proposal to change truancy referrals, selects five secondary schools for referral and requires DHS to report preliminary and final results. Councilmembers urged timely reporting and stressed that the extension should not substitute for long‑term fixes.
Councilmember Matt Fruman described the pilot’s purpose: to measure DHS’s ability to handle truancy referrals and to provide case management support that addresses underlying reasons for absenteeism, such as transportation or economic barriers. The five pilot schools — Anacostia High School, Eastern High School, H.D. Woodson High School, KIPP Legacy High School, and Digital Pioneers High School — were added at staggered times; the fifth school was added in January.
Members voiced frustration that DHS missed the March 31 deadline for a preliminary report and that the administration filed the report only after a budget hearing. Supporters including Councilmember Parker said preliminary results suggested the pilot was working better than the status quo; others, including Councilmember Robert White, cautioned about putting functions into agencies that lack core mission alignment and urged a broader solution rather than repeated short extensions.
The emergency declaration and its underlying temporary measure were approved unanimously. Councilmembers said they expect the administration to provide the final report on the new schedule and for the Council to use the budget process to build longer‑term solutions.
