Over the summer, the D.C. Council signed B26-0275 into law. B26-0275, or the “Pilot Truancy Reduction Emergency Amendment Act of 2025,” aimed to combat chronic absenteeism, a problem that has grown exponentially nationwide since the pandemic. The D.C. Council passed the bill as an emergency measure, meaning it was only in effect for a 90-day trial period and expired in late September. Earlier this month, Councilmember Zachary Parker introduced B26-0402, or the “Improving School Attendance Outcomes Amendment Act of 2025,” which is focused on a more permanent and systematic reform and would use the results of the pilot program to inform the modernized truancy response system. It has not yet been signed into law, but that is the next step. 

Behind each truancy statistic is a child whose situation is more complicated than most people can understand. Many GW students see those complexities up close when they tutor at a federal work study or engage in any of the other unique opportunities that the University offers to connect students to the D.C. Public School system. The Council’s upcoming truancy vote offers GW students a chance to make their voices heard. GW’s proximity to the Wilson Building, where the D.C. Council meets, means we are mere steps away from policymaking. Other universities cannot claim the same easy access that GW students are allowed. 

GW is situated directly in the middle of D.C’s civic landscape. The bill that could be passed primarily affects government agencies, but its possible effects reach all the way to institutions, especially given GW’s location. The “Improving School Attendance Outcomes Amendment Act of 2025” would move truancy referrals from the Child and Family Services Agency to the Department of Human Services. After CFSA declined to investigate more than 18,000 truancy cases in D.C. in recent years, the Council is looking into a model that adequately follows up with families about why their child was absent and would provide active support in order to decrease the number of truancy cases in the D.C. area. 

The proposed changes would expand on the $3.38 million DHS-run pilot program that connected students and families to support services like housing assistance, food security and mental health counseling. If enacted, the permanent shift from CFSA to DHS would be a move in the right direction toward combating truancy, given that a study done by DHS following the pilot program showed that attendance improved. 

As the bill winds its way through committee, GW students must make it clear that they support this proposal. This current truancy reform discussion is a possibility for civic participation and local leadership. We can contribute meaningfully in a variety of different ways — many of us already have connections to D.C. public schools or are involved in tutoring or other volunteer-based opportunities through GW. Programs like Engage D.C. or the Civic Engagement and Public Service Center offer us a valuable perspective on tackling external factors that contribute to absenteeism. This field experience gives students a sense of both the structural and individual dimensions of truancy. They witness the obstacles that make it hard for students to be in school consistently, as well as the bureaucratic barriers that make it hard for schools and agencies to respond effectively. 

Too often, the story about truancy focuses on something that students are doing “wrong” that could stop them from going to class rather than on how the system is failing them. Chronic absenteeism affects nearly 40 percent of D.C. students, almost double the pre-pandemic rate. Students cite a mix of challenges as reasons that prevent them from attending school, including unstable housing, unsafe transportation, caretaking duties for younger siblings and limited mental health services. Research by the D.C. Policy and the State Board of Education shows that schools in wards with higher poverty and housing instability have especially high rates of absenteeism. “Absenteeism is not apathy,” Councilmember Parker said when he introduced the bill. “It’s more often a sign of unmet needs.”

I am hopeful that the D.C. government’s attempt to move the jurisdiction of truancy cases from CFSA to under DHS marks a move away from neglect and a step toward getting students and families the help and support they need. But first, this bill has to pass. And for it to do so requires GW students to speak up and fight for change.