S. 4872

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4872 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4872

To help local educational agencies reduce chronic absenteeism and 
create safe learning environments in public elementary schools and 
secondary schools, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 23, 2026

Mr. Bennet introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To help local educational agencies reduce chronic absenteeism and 
create safe learning environments in public elementary schools and 
secondary schools, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Keep Kids in School Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

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.

SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM.

(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.

SEC. 4. STUDY REGARDING CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM AND SAFE LEARNING 
ENVIRONMENTS.

(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.
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