Charter Board Accepting Public Comment on Proposed Policies

Contact: Audrey Williams  202-328-2748
[email protected]

Washington, D.C. — The DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) is accepting public comments on two proposed policies: to update its definition of truancy, and to set triggers for when PCSB would audit data received from charter schools on attendance and discipline.

In addition to submitting written comments on the policies, members of the public may testify at a public hearing to be held on Thursday December 10 at 6:00pm.

The first policy, Revisions to the PCSB Attendance and Truancy Policy, includes updates to the definition of a truant student to be: the percentage of students with 10 or more unexcused absences (ages 5-13 for elementary and middle school students) or 25 or more unexcused absences (ages 14-17 for high school students).

The second policy, Discipline and Attendance Audits, proposes that PCSB should audit data from schools in at least three instances: when there are data discrepancies in ProActive (the data system used by PCSB and schools); reported discipline incidences in grades PK to 12 of between 0 and 3%; and under 80%, or a100% in-seat attendance rates. To ensure data quality, the policy also proposes random audits of discipline and attendance data throughout the school year.

Members of the public may provide written comments to the PCSB or testify at the December 10 public hearing, which will take place at the DC Public Charter School Board, 3333 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC at 6:00 pm.  Individuals may call the Board’s office at (202) 328-2660 by 10:00am on December 10 to be placed on the witness list. Testimony must be limited to two minutes. Please send a copy of any written comments by mail to DC Public Charter School Board, 3333 14th Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20010, or by email to [email protected]

The public comment period will run through December 12.

About PCSB: The DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) is setting a national model for creating quality public school options through its rigorous review of new charter applications and effective oversight of charter school performance that is leading the transformation of public education in Washington, DC. PCSB currently oversees 57 public charter schools 102 campuses serving 35,019 students living in every ward of the city. Learn more at www.dcpcsb.org.