Committee approves bill allowing up to five excused absences for students visiting deployed family members

Summary

The subcommittee approved a substitute for House Bill 653 that grants students up to five excused absences to visit immediate family members deployed outside the U.S.; those absences would not count toward state accountability totals. After a reconsideration to allow a member to change a vote, the substitute passed on final tally 16–1.

House Bill 653, as amended by a committee substitute, would permit students to receive up to five excused absences to visit an immediate family member who has been ordered or deployed outside the United States. Committee counsel explained the substitute specifies the five excused absences and clarifies they would not count as total absences for state accountability calculations; local divisions could request written verification.

The subcommittee initially recorded a report on the substitute and later, after a motion to reconsider to allow a member to change a vote, re-voted and reported the substitute with a final tally of 16–1. Committee discussion noted the substitute’s intent to balance support for military families while preserving accountability calculations.

The committee’s action sends the bill forward with the substitute incorporated; any local implementation details (verification process and coordination with accountability reporting) will be handled by school divisions and further committee or agency guidance.