Support Assembly Bill 2382 (Bradford) to eliminate the truancy penalty for children in families receiving CalWORKs. We need policies that support families and keep children in school, not penalties that drive families into poverty.
Why is this important?
Currently, all California children are required to attend school, and parents and students can face financial and civil penalties if the student is determined truant. On top of that, poor families who receive CalWORKs are subject to a reduction in their family’s grant if their child fails to participate in school regularly.
Taken together, both penalties are an unjust burden on the backs of poor families straining to climb the rungs of the economic ladder. Research from across the country shows that truancy penalties don't actually work to improve school attendance.
AB 2382, by Assemblymember Steven Bradford, will eliminate the CalWORKs attendance penalty, thereby relieving this financial burden and helping families to achieve self-sufficiency.
