(a) For purposes of this section and sections 10-198c and 10-220, "truant" means a child age five to eighteen, inclusive, who is enrolled in a public or private school and has four unexcused absences from school in any one month or ten unexcused absences from school in any school year.

(b) Each local and regional board of education shall adopt and implement policies and procedures concerning truants who are enrolled in schools under the jurisdiction of such board of education. Such policies and procedures shall include, but need not be limited to, the following: (1) The holding of a meeting with the parent of each child who is a truant, or other person having control of such child, and appropriate school personnel to review and evaluate the reasons for the child being a truant, provided such meeting shall be held not later than ten school days after the child's fourth unexcused absence in a month or tenth unexcused absence in a school year, (2) coordinating services with and referrals of children to community agencies providing child and family services, (3) annually at the beginning of the school year and upon any enrollment during the school year, notifying the parent or other person having control of each child enrolled in a grade from kindergarten to eight, inclusive, in the public schools in writing of the obligations of the parent or such other person pursuant to section 10-184, (4) annually at the beginning of the school year and upon any enrollment during the school year, obtaining from the parent or other person having control of each child in a grade from kindergarten to eight, inclusive, a telephone number or other means of contacting such parent or such other person during the school day, (5) on or before August 15, 2018, the implementation of a truancy intervention model identified by the Department of Education pursuant to section 10-198e for any school under its jurisdiction that has a disproportionately high rate of truancy, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, and (B) on or before September 1, 2023, the adoption and implementation of a truancy intervention model developed by the department of education pursuant to subsection (B) of section 10-198e, as amended by this act, that accounts for mental and behavioral health, or a similar truancy intervention plan that meets all of the requirements for a truancy intervention model set forth in subsection (b) of said section, (6) a system of monitoring individual unexcused absences of children in grades kindergarten to eight, inclusive, which shall provide that whenever a child enrolled in school in any such grade fails to report to school on a regularly scheduled school day and no indication has been received by school personnel that the child's parent or other person having control of the child is aware of the pupil's absence, a reasonable effort to notify, by telephone and by mail, the parent or such other person shall be made by school personnel or volunteers under the direction of school personnel,(7) providing notice to the parent or guardian of child who is a truant of the information concerning the existence and availability of the 2-1-1 Infoline program, and other pediatric mental and behavioral health screening services and tools described in section 17a-22rt, and (8) on and after July 1, 2023, a requirement that an appropriate school mental health specialist, as defined in section 12 of this act, conduct an evaluation of each child who is a truant to determine if additional behavioral health interventions are necessary for the well-being of the child. Any person who, in good faith, gives or fails to give notice pursuant to subdivision (6) of this subsection shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, which might otherwise be incurred or imposed and shall have the same immunity with respect to any judicial proceeding which results from such notice or failure to give such notice.

The State Board of Education shall define “excused absence”, “unexcused absence” and “disciplinary absence” for use by local and regional boards of education for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of section 10-198a, reporting truancy, pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-220, and calculating the district chronic absenteeism rate and the school chronic absenteeism rate pursuant to section 10-198c. On or before July 1, 2021, the State Board of Education shall amend the definitions of “excused absence” and “unexcused absence” to exclude a student's engagement in (1) virtual classes, (2) virtual meetings, (3) activities on time-logged electronic systems, and (4) the completion and submission of assignments, if such engagement accounts for not less than one-half of the school day during remote learning authorized pursuant to section 10-4w. As used in this section, “remote learning” means instruction by means of one or more Internet-based software platforms as part of a remote learning model.

(a) As used in this section:

(b)(1) Each local and regional board of education that (A) has a district chronic absenteeism rate of ten per cent or higher shall establish an attendance review team for the school district, (B) has a school under the jurisdiction of the board with a school chronic absenteeism rate of fifteen per cent or higher shall establish an attendance review team at such school, (C) has more than one school under the jurisdiction of the board with a school chronic absenteeism rate of fifteen per cent or higher shall establish an attendance review team for the school district or at each such school, or (D) has a district chronic absenteeism rate of ten per cent or higher and one or more schools under the jurisdiction of the board with a school chronic absenteeism rate of fifteen per cent or higher shall establish an attendance review team for the school district or at each such school. Such attendance review teams shall be established to address chronic absenteeism in the school district or at the school or schools.

(a) Not later than January 1, 2016, the Department of Education, in consultation with the Interagency Council for Ending the Achievement Gap established pursuant to section 10-16nn, shall develop a chronic absenteeism prevention and intervention plan for use by local and regional boards of education to reduce chronic absenteeism in the school district.

(b)(1) The chronic absenteeism prevention and intervention plan shall include, but need not be limited to, the following: (A) Information that describes (i) chronic absenteeism, including, but not limited to, the definition of a chronically absent child under section 10-198c, and the causes of chronic absenteeism, such as poverty, violence, poor health and lack of access to transportation, (ii) the effect of chronic absenteeism on a student's academic performance, and (iii) how family and school partnerships with community resources, including, but not limited to, family resource centers and youth service bureaus, can reduce chronic absenteeism and improve student attendance, and (B) a means of collecting and analyzing data relating to student attendance, truancy and chronic absenteeism for the purpose of (i) disaggregating such data by school district, school, grade and subgroups, such as race, ethnicity, gender, eligibility for free or reduced priced lunches, students whose primary language is not English and students with disabilities, and (ii) assisting local and regional boards of education in (I) tracking chronic absenteeism over multiple years and for the current school year, (II) developing indicators to identify students who are at risk of being chronically absent children, (III) monitoring students' attendance over time, and (IV) making adjustments to interventions as they are being implemented.

(a) The Department of Education shall identify effective truancy intervention models for implementation by local and regional boards of education pursuant to subsection (b) of section 10-198a, including intervention models that address the needs of students with disabilities. Not later than August 15, 2018, a listing of such approved models shall be available for implementation by local and regional boards of education pursuant to said subsection (b).

(b) Not later than September 1, 2023, the Department of Education shall develop and make available for implementation by local and regional boards of education described in subparagraph (B) of subdivision (5) of subsection (b) of section 10-198a, a truancy intervention model that accounts for mental and behavioral health.

(c) Not later than September 1, 2023, the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Children and Families, shall issue guidance to local and regional boards of education on best practices relating to intervention in certain behavioral health situations and when it is appropriate to contact the 2-1-1 Infoline program or use alternative interventions

Any local or regional board of education may appoint one or more persons, who shall be authorized to prosecute for violations of the laws relating to attendance of children and their employment. All warrants issued upon such prosecutions shall be returnable before any court having jurisdiction. Each attendance officer shall be sworn to the faithful performance of his or her duties and shall be under the direction of the principal or superintendent of schools of the board of education by which he or she is employed. He shall investigate the absence of pupils from or the irregular attendance of pupils at school, cause such pupils as are absent or irregular in attendance to attend school regularly and present cases requiring prosecution for violation of the school laws to prosecuting officers.

Each city and town may adopt ordinances concerning habitual truants from school and children between the ages of five and eighteen years wandering about its streets or public places, having no lawful occupation and not attending school, and may make such ordinances respecting such children as shall conduce to their welfare and to public order, imposing penalties, not exceeding twenty dollars, for any one breach thereof. The police in any town, city or borough, bailiffs and constables in their respective precincts shall arrest all such children found anywhere beyond the proper control of their parents or guardians, during the usual school hours of the school terms, and may stop any child under eighteen years of age during such hours and ascertain whether such child is a truant from school, and, if such child is, shall send such child to school. For purposes of this section, "habitual truant" means a child age five to eighteen, inclusive, who is enrolled in a public or private school and has twenty unexcused absences within a school year.

(c) Each local and regional board of education shall develop, adopt and implement written policies concerning homework, attendance, promotion and retention. The Department of Education shall make available model policies and guidelines to assist local and regional boards of education in meeting the responsibilities enumerated in this subsection.

(a) The Probate Court Administrator may, within available appropriations, establish a truancy clinic within (1) any Regional Children's Probate Court that serves a town designated as an alliance district pursuant to section 10-262u, or (2) any Probate Court that serves a town designated as an alliance district that is not served by a Regional Children's Probate Court. The administrative judge of the Regional Children's Probate Court or the probate judge, as the case may be, or the designee of such administrative judge or such probate judge, shall administer the truancy clinic for such administrative judge's or such probate judge's respective court.

(b) If the Probate Court Administrator establishes truancy clinics pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the principal of any elementary or middle school located in a town designated as an alliance district, or the principal's designee, may refer to a truancy clinic a parent or guardian with a child enrolled in such school who is a truant, as defined in section 10-198a, or at risk of becoming a truant. Upon receiving such referral, the truancy clinic shall prepare a citation and summons for the parent or guardian of the child to appear at the clinic. An attendance officer authorized pursuant to section 10-199, or a police officer authorized pursuant to section 10-200, shall deliver the citation and summons and a copy of the referral to the parent or guardian.

(c) The administrative judge of the Regional Children's Probate Court that serves a town designated as an alliance district or the probate judge that serves a town designated as an alliance district, as the case may be, may refer any matter referred to a truancy clinic to a probate magistrate or attorney probate referee assigned by the Probate Court Administrator pursuant to section 45a-123a to hear the matter.

(d) The truancy clinics shall operate for the purpose of identifying and resolving the cause of a child's truancy using nonpunitive procedures. After the initial appearance made pursuant to the summons described in subsection (b) of this section, the participation of a parent or guardian in the truancy clinic shall be voluntary. The truancy clinics shall establish protocols for clinic participation and shall establish programs and relationships with schools, individuals, public and private agencies, and other organizations to provide services and support for parents, guardians and children participating in the clinics.

(e) The Probate Court Administrator shall establish policies and procedures to implement the truancy clinics and measure the effectiveness of the truancy clinics.

(f) Not later than September 1, 2015, and annually thereafter, each administrative judge of a Regional Children's Probate Court that serves a town designated as an alliance district in which a truancy clinic has been established and each probate judge that serves a town designated as an alliance district in which a truancy clinic has been established shall file a report with the Probate Court Administrator assessing the effectiveness of each truancy clinic in such administrative judge's or such probate judge's respective court.

(g) Not later than January 1, 2016, the Probate Court Administrator shall submit, in accordance with section 11-4a, a report assessing the effectiveness of the truancy clinics to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary and education.