Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Representative Ellen Chapin recounts family's struggle with absenteeism, urges caution on uniform attendance policy
Loading...
Summary
Representative Ellen Chapin told the committee a personal story about her 15‑year‑old child's developmental disability and lengthy route to diagnosis, warning that a top‑down, mandatory Agency of Education attendance policy could harm students who need local discretion and individualized supports.
Representative Ellen Chapin (identified in testimony as a representative from East Montclair) offered a personal statement explaining why she supports preventative approaches for chronic absenteeism but opposes a mandatory, one‑size‑fits‑all model imposed from above.
Chapin described her family's multi‑year experience: her child struggled with school attendance for several years, the family waited months (three to six months in testimony) to get an external evaluation, and the child ultimately received a diagnosis that led the family to build accommodations into a 504 plan. Chapin stressed that local school leaders used discretion to reduce pressure on the student—avoiding punitive truancy steps while offering periodic check‑ins—which she credited with helping the child return to regular attendance.
"That is what the main thing I'm advocating for here today is that you're just careful about any laws policy that required that every school adopt a similar or stronger policy," Chapin said, urging that a model policy preserve local discretion and account for students with disabilities protected under federal law. She noted that families without access to private evaluations can face long wait times for publicly available assessments and cautioned against unintended consequences of a standardized mandate.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about the bill lines Chapin referenced and about whether school materials that flag truancy offered guidance or resources; Chapin said school outreach was limited and outside therapeutic supports were essential in her case. Senators and staff emphasized they wanted to balance prevention with appropriate local flexibility.
No formal action was taken during this testimony; Chapin asked the committee to consider amendments and language that would protect students with disabilities and ensure discretion at the school level.
Next steps: committee staff and members indicated they would continue considering amendments and obtain additional details from the agency on how proposed model policies would be implemented and how federal protections (like 504/IDEA) would interact with any statewide guidance.
