CONNECTICUT
Changes in Compulsory Attendance Age Proposed
Four bills have been introduced in the Connecticut General Assembly which would expand the compulsory school attendance ages for children. House Bill 5245, introduced by Representative Garcia (128th District) and Representative Castro (3rd District), would lower the compulsory attendance age from seven to five years old. Senate Bill 184, sponsored by Senator Looney (11th District), would also reduce the compulsory attendance age from seven to five years. House Bill 5051, introduced by Representative Green (1st District) and Representative Barth (70th District), would increase the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 years old or until graduation from high school. House Bill 5267, sponsored by Representative Ryan (139th District), would also increase the mandatory school attendance age from 16 to 18 years or high school graduation.
The obvious effect of these bills would be to subject home schoolers in Connecticut to the compulsory attendance requirements two years earlier than is now required and for two years beyond what is now required, unless high school graduation occurs before age 18. For the vast majority of home educators in Connecticut who are following the guidelines established by the State Board of Education adopted on November 7, 1990, this would entail submission of notice of intent providing information about the home instruction and an annual portfolio review during the additional years.
There is no statistical data or research to support the position that raising the compulsory attendance age will reduce the dropout rate. To the contrary, according to the U.S. Department of Education's statistics which chart 16-19 year olds not attending or graduating from high school, the top five states with the lowest dropout rates only require attendance through age 15. The states with the highest compulsory attendance ages also have the highest dropout rates in the nation. Significantly, Connecticut has the 14th lowest dropout rate in the nation at 9.2 percent, the national average being 11.2 percent. Therefore, there is no true need to raise the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 years old in Connecticut, nor is there any statistical data to prove that this has had any effect of reducing dropout rates in any other state.
Legislation to Remove Truant Children from Homes
Senator Penn (23rd District) has introduced Proposed Bill 410, which would require the state to investigate the living situation of a truant child. If the truant child is living in "poor conditions," the state would be obligated to remove the child from his home. Presumably, a truant child living in rich conditions could continue to reside with his parents under Senator Penn's proposal.
