Report on Indiana’s Legislative Response to Student Absenteeism and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary: Addressing Educational Disruption Through Policy

Following a significant increase in student absenteeism during the pandemic, the state of Indiana has implemented new legislation to address this critical issue. While attendance rates have shown some improvement, they remain above pre-pandemic levels. In response, laws passed in 2024 and 2025 mandate early intervention by schools and establish clear protocols for truancy. These measures are a direct effort to reinforce the state’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), which emphasizes inclusive and equitable education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Legislative Mandates for Early Intervention

The new laws establish a framework for early intervention when a student’s attendance becomes a concern. A student is legally defined as an “absent student” after accumulating five or more unexcused absences within a 10-week period. This trigger requires schools to take specific actions.

1. Parental Notification and Conference: Schools must notify parents and convene an attendance conference to discuss the issue.
2. Attendance Plan Development: A formal attendance plan must be created. This plan can include disciplinary actions for non-compliance and referrals for wraparound services.
3. Access to Support Services: The provision of services such as counseling directly supports Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by addressing potential underlying mental and social health issues contributing to absenteeism.

Initially applied to grades K-5 in 2024, this intervention framework was expanded in 2025 to include all middle and high school students. The rules do not apply to students with excused absences or those with a medical provider’s note on file under a special education plan.

Legal Framework and Institutional Response

The legislation maintains that parents and students can face prosecution for habitual truancy, defined as ten or more unexcused absences in a school year. This legal recourse aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), which promotes the rule of law and accountable institutions.

• Mandatory Reporting: Schools are required to report habitually truant students to the county prosecutor’s office.
• Prosecutorial Discretion: Prosecutors are not mandated to file charges and are encouraged to pursue alternative interventions first. These may include meeting with families, creating intervention plans, or connecting families with support services like family counseling and mental health care, further reinforcing the state’s commitment to SDG 3.
• Variable Enforcement: The application of these laws varies by county, which may raise concerns regarding equitable implementation as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Differentiating Absence Categories for Equitable Application

The state’s truancy laws are exclusively concerned with unexcused absences. The distinction between absence types is critical for proper implementation.

• Excused Absences: Defined by local school district policy, these typically include documented medical appointments, family funerals, and religious holidays. Students with numerous excused absences are not subject to the new intervention laws, acknowledging the importance of student health as a component of SDG 3.
• Unexcused Absences: These occur when a student misses school without a reason deemed acceptable by the district. Circumstances such as car trouble may be considered unexcused, potentially creating barriers for families with fewer resources and impacting goals related to SDG 10.
• Exempt Absences: A separate category defined by state law for specific activities, such as serving as a legislative page or attending court. These days are counted as days of attendance and do not negatively impact a student’s record.

Measuring and Understanding Absenteeism for SDG Alignment

To effectively address attendance, the state utilizes the metric of “chronic absenteeism” and is standardizing data collection. This data-driven approach is fundamental to monitoring progress toward SDG 4.

• Chronic Absenteeism: A student is considered chronically absent for missing 10% or more of the school year (approximately 18 days), for any reason, excused or unexcused. In the 2023-24 school year, 17.8% of Indiana students met this definition. This comprehensive metric helps identify all students at risk of falling behind academically.
• Standardized Data Collection: The 2025 law mandated the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to create standardized categories for tracking absences. The goal is to gain a clearer understanding of why students miss school, enabling the development of more targeted and effective interventions to ensure no student is left behind.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  This is the primary SDG addressed. The article’s entire focus is on student attendance, absenteeism, and truancy in Indiana schools. Ensuring students are present in school is a fundamental prerequisite for receiving a quality education.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  This goal is connected through the discussion of reasons for student absences and the interventions provided. The article mentions absences for medical reasons, the need for doctor’s notes, and the provision of services like “counseling and mental health services” as part of attendance improvement plans. This highlights the link between student health (both physical and mental) and their ability to attend school.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  This SDG is relevant due to the article’s focus on the legal and institutional frameworks established to address absenteeism. The passage of new state laws in 2024 and 2025, the requirement for schools to create attendance plans, the involvement of prosecutors, and the mandate for the Department of Education to standardize absence tracking all point to efforts to build “effective, accountable and transparent institutions” to enforce compulsory education and support students.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.1: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.” The article directly addresses this target by focusing on chronic absenteeism and truancy, which are significant barriers to completing education and achieving learning outcomes. The new laws are designed to get students back into the classroom to ensure they can complete their education.

2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: “By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.” The article connects to the “promote mental health and well-being” aspect of this target. It states that intervention plans can include referrals for “family counseling and mental health services,” acknowledging that mental health is a factor in school attendance.
   • Target 3.8: “Achieve universal health coverage, including… access to quality essential health-care services…” The article implies this target by discussing how absences are treated differently based on whether a family can provide a “note from a provider” or a “doctor’s note,” highlighting the role of access to healthcare in validating absences.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.3: “Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.” The article details how habitually truant students are referred to prosecutors and the court system, which is a direct application of the rule of law to address educational neglect.
   • Target 16.6: “Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.” The new laws requiring schools to notify parents, hold attendance conferences, develop attendance plans, and report data are all measures to make the educational system more effective and accountable in managing student attendance. The requirement for the Department of Education to create “standardized categories for tracking student absences” is a direct effort to improve institutional transparency and data collection.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several specific metrics and processes that can serve as indicators:

1. Indicators for SDG 4 (Target 4.1)

   • Chronic absenteeism rate: The article explicitly defines this as missing “10 percent of the school year” and provides a specific figure: “17.8 percent of Indiana students were considered chronically absent” in the 2023-24 school year. This is a direct indicator of participation in education.
   • Truancy rate: The article defines “habitual truancy” as “10 or more unexcused absences in a school year.” The number or percentage of students meeting this definition is a key indicator.
   • Rate of “absent students”: This is a new category defined by Indiana law as a student who “misses five or more days of school without an excuse within a 10-week period.” Tracking this number would measure the frequency of early-stage attendance problems.

2. Indicators for SDG 3 (Targets 3.4 & 3.8)

   • Number of referrals to support services: The article mentions that intervention plans can include “referrals for services such as counseling” and connecting families with “family counseling and mental health services.” The number of such referrals would indicate the extent to which health and well-being are being addressed as part of the attendance strategy.
   • Proportion of absences documented by a medical provider: The distinction between excused absences (with a doctor’s note) and unexcused absences implies that tracking the reason for absence, specifically for medical reasons, is an important data point.

3. Indicators for SDG 16 (Targets 16.3 & 16.6)

   • Number of attendance interventions: The article states that schools “must notify parents and hold an attendance conference” and “develop attendance plans.” The number of these conferences and plans created is an indicator of the new law’s implementation.
   • Number of referrals to prosecutors: The law requires schools to “report habitually truant students to prosecutors.” This number serves as an indicator of the enforcement of truancy laws.
   • Adoption of standardized absence categories: The article mentions that the “2025 attendance law required the Department of Education to create standardized categories for tracking student absences.” The successful development and implementation of this system is an indicator of institutional improvement and transparency.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: wfyi.org