Education attendance reporting requirements modified.
HF1413 amends Minnesota’s school performance reporting law to add a new attendance measure to the list of data the commissioner of education must report publicly. In addition to existing reporting on academic performance, graduation-related measures, school safety, English learner progress, student demographics, foster care and homelessness, and extracurricular participation, the bill requires reporting on “consistent attendance.” The bill defines consistent attendance as a student attending more than 90 percent of school days while enrolled, and it requires that the student be enrolled for at least half an academic year to be included in the calculation.
The bill also directs the commissioner to post consistent attendance data for the 2024-2025 school year by September 1, 2025, and to continue posting updated attendance data annually by September 1 thereafter. The attendance data may be updated after publication if needed to ensure accuracy. The broader school performance report deadlines remain in place, with the bill preserving the existing framework for annual public reporting and appeals by schools and districts. The new provisions take effect July 1, 2025.
This bill would amend Minnesota Statutes section 120B.36 by expanding the required contents of school performance reports and public reporting to include attendance-based accountability data. It creates a statutory definition of “consistent attendance” and adds a new reporting obligation for the Department of Education, affecting how schools and districts are measured and how attendance information is presented to the public. The bill does not create a new enforcement penalty, but it does make attendance a formal public reporting metric alongside other school performance indicators.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or partisan division in the available record. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to be framed as a transparency and data-reporting update rather than a controversial policy change. The inclusion of attendance suggests a general policy interest in chronic absenteeism and student engagement, which are commonly viewed as important education outcomes.
The main potential point of contention is the choice to define and publicly report attendance in a way that may affect school comparisons and public perception. Schools and districts may be concerned about how the 90 percent threshold, the half-year enrollment requirement, and post-publication data updates will influence reported results, especially for students with mobility, homelessness, foster care involvement, or other attendance challenges. Another possible issue is whether attendance should be treated as a performance indicator alongside academic measures, since some stakeholders may view it as a useful accountability tool while others may see it as an imperfect proxy for school quality.