White House My Brother's Keeper Task Force Praises Attorney General Harris’ Truancy Initiatives

Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

SAN FRANCISCO -- The White House My Brother’s Keeper Task Force issued a statement of support for Attorney General Kamala D. Harris’ initiatives to reduce truancy in California elementary schools.

Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson and U.S. Department of Education Deputy Secretary Jim Shelton, who serve as the Chair and Executive Director, respectively, of the White House My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, issued the following statement on Attorney General Harris’ In School + On Track 2014 report:

“We appreciate the report issued today by California’s Attorney General, Kamala Harris.  This incisive and candid report highlights critical barriers to learning for young people; barriers that begin as early as kindergarten and first grade.  As the Chair and Executive Director of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, we know that we all need to be brutally honest about the current state of our children’s lives and that we need to invest the necessary resources in their growth and development to overcome the challenges the data reveal. The astounding facts presented in this report shine a light on the need to adopt policies and practices that address chronic absenteeism and other issues that impede our young people’s path to opportunity and success. We look forward to working with Attorney General Harris and leaders of other communities across the country to find common sense solutions that will strengthen families and communities for years to come.”

Last week, Attorney General Harris released a report, In School + On Track 2014, which provides new research on how students of color and students from low-income families are missing a disproportionate amount of school each year.

The report also articulates the importance of the Every Kid Counts legislative package sponsored by Attorney General Harris that currently awaits Governor Jerry Brown’s signature.

More information on the Every Kid Counts legislative package is available here: https://oag.ca.gov/truancy/letters.

The online version of the In School + On Track 2014 report can be found here: https://oag.ca.gov/truancy/2014.

Information on the White House task force is available here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper#section-about-my-brothers-keeper.

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