[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL TRUANCY PREVENTION MONTH

  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 924, S. Res. 
624.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 624) designating August 2008 as 
     ``National Truancy Prevention Month.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and that any statements related to the resolution be printed in 
the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 624) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 624

       Whereas public schools in the United States are facing a 
     dropout crisis, with approximately 1,200,000 students not 
     graduating from high school on time and only 70 percent of 
     students earning high school diplomas;
       Whereas truancy has been shown to be the first and best 
     indicator that a child will drop out of school, use marijuana 
     for the first time, and commit juvenile crimes by the age of 
     15;
       Whereas the incidence of truancy in a recent national 
     survey found that 11 percent of eighth grade students, 16 
     percent of tenth grade students, and 35 percent of twelfth 
     grade students reported skipping 1 or more days of school 
     during the previous 30 days;
       Whereas chronic truants often miss more days of school than 
     they attend;
       Whereas absentee rates relate directly to graduation rates 
     and are highest in public schools in urban areas;
       Whereas truant eighth graders are more likely to say they 
     do not believe they will graduate from high school or attend 
     college than their peers who attend regularly;
       Whereas truancy has been found to be a risk factor for 
     substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and school dropout;
       Whereas the average annual income for a high school dropout 
     in 2005 was $17,299, compared to $26,933 for a high school 
     graduate;
       Whereas it has been demonstrated that when truancy is 
     addressed, there is a reduction in the rates of daytime 
     crime, juvenile crime, drug use, and delinquency;
       Whereas effective truancy reduction programs can take many 
     forms and can be implemented in many different settings, 
     including in schools, courts, and through community programs;
       Whereas truancy prevention programs focused on middle grade 
     students are key to preventing future dropouts; and
       Whereas truancy reduction programs are highly cost 
     effective, reduce juvenile and adult crime, and save taxpayer 
     money: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates August 2008 as ``National Truancy Prevention 
     Month'';
       (2) recognizes the significant harm of chronic truancy to 
     the youth of the United States;
       (3) acknowledges the work being done by truancy prevention 
     programs throughout the United States to help at-risk youth; 
     and
       (4) encourages law enforcement, school officials, the 
     judiciary, community leaders, and the business community to 
     work together to address truancy.

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