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House rejects amendment to extend truancy rules to private schools receiving public funds
Summary
Lawmakers defeated Amendment 2 to the truancy bill (Senate Bill 19‑68 substituted), which would have required private schools that take public tax dollars to follow the same attendance rules as public schools; the underlying substitute bill advanced after debate on data‑sharing and special cases.
The House considered a substitute to Senate Bill 19‑68 addressing truancy and the transfer of attendance records between local education agencies. Representative Raper, sponsor of the substitution, said the measure would ensure that tier‑3 truancy records travel with students who transfer between LEAs or return to public school within the same school year.
Representative Johnson moved Amendment 2 to extend the same attendance requirements to private schools that receive public tax dollars, arguing that “if a child leaves a private school to go to another school ... they will be required to do the same thing.” Leader Lambert moved the previous question; members voted and the amendment failed. Lawmakers debated exceptions for foster children and students affected by ICE detention; the sponsor said the bill does not apply to homeschool students and that established juvenile‑court determinations would control whether a student is at tier‑3 and subject to the rule.
After the debate and amendment votes the House recorded passage on third and final consideration as reflected in the House journal.
