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Vermont education chief cites 67% rise in chronic absenteeism, proposes definitional statute changes
Summary
The secretary told legislators Vermont’s chronic absenteeism rose about 67% since 2019 and proposed statutory changes to standardize definitions, reporting and escalation pathways, with a model tiered intervention policy and a forthcoming report based on statewide focus groups.
The secretary of the Agency of Education said chronic absenteeism in Vermont has risen about 67% since 2019 and outlined proposed statutory changes intended to standardize how districts define, report and respond to chronic absence.
"Chronic absenteeism is defined by students missing 10% of school days," the secretary said. She said Vermont’s rate rose from about 18% in 2019 to roughly 30% in the 2023–24 school year and that students experiencing homelessness, students in poverty and students with disabilities are the most affected.
The agency framed the revision as largely definitional and procedural: clarifying prevention and response expectations, standardizing escalation and reporting, and removing penalties deemed ineffective. The goal, the secretary said, is to reframe truancy as one tool within a broader chronic absenteeism continuum so districts can intervene earlier and more consistently.
Agency staff described a "safe and healthy schools" team that is developing a model policy with tiered interventions and has worked with an outside expert to convene focus groups between September and November. The secretary said those focus groups included education leaders, health partners and state agencies, and that the agency will release a comprehensive report in the coming weeks summarizing challenges and exemplars worth scaling.
The secretary listed both out-of-school and in-school drivers—health conditions, housing instability, transportation barriers, mental health and substance use, bullying, academic anxiety and weak relationships with adults—and said inconsistent local definitions and data-quality gaps have limited the agency's ability to recommend interventions. She described proactive outreach and clearer escalation pathways as the intended remedies.
A parent attending the session described how intermittent lateness can be escalated to truancy enforcement in ways the parent perceived as unevenly applied; the secretary said better, consistent definitions and earlier, family-centered outreach could reduce such escalation.
The agency said proposed statute changes this year are not contingent on other statutory revisions that may be needed at Human Services or DCF, though the agency said additional cross-agency work may be required for some supports. The agency emphasized implementation assistance to districts, including a model policy and resources drawn from focus-group findings.
The agency will provide the detailed report and recommended model policy to legislators and stakeholders when it is finalized; no formal statutory text or vote was presented at this session.
