The Keeping our Students in School Act establishes a competitive grant program that the Department of Education would administer to help school districts reduce chronic student absenteeism. Eligible school districts are those where at least 20 percent of students miss 10 percent or more of school days in a year, and they would need to submit applications describing their current absence problem and their plan for using grant funds. Approved districts could use the funding for activities such as providing transportation services, conducting home visits to check on chronically absent students, establishing mentorship programs, partnering with state agencies, or purchasing tracking software. The grants would be awarded for one-year periods and could be renewed, with school districts required to report back to the Department of Education on how the money was spent and whether it reduced absenteeism. The legislation does not specify a total funding amount for the grant program.
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