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House Education hears testimony on chronic-absenteeism bill; committee agrees to soften alternative-education mandate
Summary
The House Education Committee heard testimony Feb. 10 from Jay Nichols of the Vermont Principals Association urging early intervention and cautioning against unfunded mandates in proposed AOE chronic-absenteeism language; the committee verbally agreed to change a required 'shall' for alternative education during suspensions to 'may' and to let LEA superintendents approve certain absences.
Jay Nichols, introduced in the transcript as the senior executive director of the Vermont Principles Association, told the House Education Committee on Feb. 10 that chronic absenteeism remains ‘‘a national and state-level issue’’ and urged a focus on early intervention and wraparound services rather than primarily punitive approaches. "Researchers constantly, consistently find chronic absenteeism is strongly, linked to lower standardized test scores and learning loss," Nichols said, and he emphasized that low-income and historically marginalized students are disproportionately affected.
Nichols summarized several evidence-based strategies the association supports, including family engagement, early intervention, proactive positive outreach and connections with human services. He cited a practice he said had reduced absences in some…
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