Relating to education, including by requiring school engagement meetings and attendance cooperation proceedings when children are absent from school, requiring school districts to restrict student use of cellular phones and smartphones, modifying provisions related to open enrollment of truant students, and modifying penalties

This bill requires the development of an attendance improvement plan when a student is chronically absent from school. The bill provides that, when a student who is enrolled in a public school was absent from school for at least percent of the school days in the prior school year for any reason, the student or the student’s parent, guardian, or custodian, as applicable, a representative of the public school, and a representative of the county attorney of a county in which the public school is located shall meet to discuss how to improve the student’s attendance, create an attendance improvement plan, and sign the attendance improvement plan. The bill requires that, during the meeting, the representative of the county attorney shall provide the student or the student’s parent, guardian, or custodian, as applicable, with information related to this state’s laws related to attendance requirements, penalties associated with violating the attendance requirements, and exceptions to the attendance requirements.