Keep Kids in School Act

This Act may be cited as the “Keep Kids in School Act”.

In this Act:

(1) ESEA terms.— The terms elementary school, local educational agency, secondary school, and State educational agency have the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(2) Chronic absenteeism.— The term chronic absenteeism means students at a public elementary school or secondary school who are absent, for any excused or unexcused reason, for 10 percent or more of the days for which the student is enrolled in a public school during a school year.

(3) Secretary.— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.

(4) State.— The term State means each of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands.

(a) Program authorized.—

(1) In general.— From amounts made available to carry out this section, the Secretary shall award grants to State educational agencies to enable the State educational agencies to award subgrants to local educational agencies to provide assistance to public elementary schools and secondary schools served by the local educational agencies to reduce the chronic absenteeism rate at the schools and foster safe learning environments.

(2) Preference.— In awarding grants to State educational agencies under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to States with high rates of chronic absenteeism or those serving the most vulnerable student populations.

(b) Applications.—

(1) State educational agencies.— A State educational agency desiring a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(2) Local educational agencies.— A local educational agency desiring a subgrant under this section shall submit to the State educational agency in the State in which the local educational agency is located an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the State educational agency may require.

(c) Use of funds.—

(1) By states.— A State educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to award subgrants to local educational agencies in the State.

(2) By local educational agencies.— A local educational agency receiving a subgrant under this section shall use subgrant funds to reduce chronic absenteeism rates and to create safe learning environments in public elementary schools and secondary schools served by the local educational agency. Such activities may include—

(A) hiring additional counselors, mental health professionals, social workers, or family liaisons;

(B) providing stipends to teachers to perform home visits for students who are chronically absent;

(C) supporting programming to address chronic absenteeism and to improve safety in learning environments;

(D) transportation costs, such as buses;

(E) research and data collection so schools and local educational agencies can track absenteeism rates, patterns, and root causes throughout the school year; or

(F) other activities or methods that have been shown to reduce the chronic absenteeism rate.

(d) Reports.— Not later than 3 years after the date a local educational agency receives a subgrant under this section, the local educational agency shall prepare and submit to the State educational agency a report regarding the impact of the subgrant funds and whether each of the elementary schools or secondary schools supported under the subgrant reduced their chronic absenteeism rate. The State educational agency shall submit reports received from local educational agencies to the Secretary.

(a) Study.— The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on chronic absenteeism and safety in learning environments in public elementary schools and secondary schools of the United States.

(b) Contents of study.— In carrying out the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall examine chronic absenteeism and research the extent to which evidence-based interventions can reduce chronic absenteeism rates and improve student achievement and student well-being.

(c) Report.— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall prepare and submit a report regarding the study conducted under subsection (a) and the conclusions and recommendations generated from the study to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the Secretary.