Committee of the Whole Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING on Bill 24-428, School Attendance Amendment Act of 2021 and, more generally Update on Improving School Attendance/Reducing Truancy and Chronic Absenteeism on Friday, March 11, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. Live via Zoom Video Conference Broadcast Chairman’s Website (www.ChairmanMendelson.com/live) Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing of the Committee of the Whole on Bill 24-428, the School Attendance Amendment Act of 2021 and on the issue of Improving School Attendance. The hearing will be on Friday, March 11, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. via Zoom videoconference. The purpose of Bill 24-428 is to clarify daily school attendance as being physically present sixty percent of the full instructional day. Additionally, the bill establishes that a delay in public transportation that is no more than ten percent of the instructional day is a valid excused absence. While the District has worked to improve school attendance and lower truancy and chronic absenteeism rates over the past decade, this Bill seeks to identify specific additional factors to permanently improve the trajectory of student participation. This hearing is also an opportunity for further discussion about what steps the District government is taking to improve school attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism. The Committee last held an oversight roundtable on this matter last December 9th. Those who wish to testify must register at http://www.ChairmanMendelson.com/testify by the close of business on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Testimony is limited to four minutes; less time will be allowed if there are a large number of witnesses. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation, or require sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, although alternatives may be offered. Requests received in less than five business days may not be fulfilled. If you have additional questions, please email cow@dccouncil.us or contact Destiny Riley, Committee Assistant, at (202) 724-8196. The hearing will be conducted virtually on the Internet utilizing Zoom video conference technology. Testimony should be submitted in writing to cow@dccouncil.us in advance of the hearing. Written testimony will be posted publicly to http://www.chairmanmendelson.com/testimony. If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Statements for the record should be submitted to cow@dccouncil.us or left by voicemail by calling (202) 430-6948 (up to 3 minutes which will be transcribed). The record will close at 5:00pm on Friday, March 25, 2022.