Education leaders in Dallas want to introduce "compassion" as a way to reform the way schools handle students who miss school.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa will announce 24 recommendations to change truancy policy in Dallas County Tuesday morning.
The proposals would make truancy court a last resort and help excuse students who have a legitimate reason for missing class, such as health issues.
The plan would also clarify state truancy law by defining absences as a full day. Schools will only be able to refer truancy court cases involving students who miss full days of school.
Under state law, districts have the option of sending students with 10 unexcused absences over six months to civil court.
"After a year of working with local leaders, we believe Dallas County's compiled list of recommendations will be more compassionate toward students and ensure that school intervention is much more effective making our courts a more rarely used system of last resort," Judge Jenkins said in a release.
Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a measure that decriminalized unexcused absences in 2015.
