With thousands of Baltimore students recently reported absent for a third or more of the school year, the City Council is taking action on chronic absenteeism.

Councilmember Mark Conway is “taking the lead” with a resolution he proposed earlier this week, according to Council President Zeke Cohen. The resolution is backed by 13 out of 15 councilmembers and would require Baltimore City Schools to create a report identifying root causes and solutions to chronic absenteeism.

Conway did not respond to a request for comment.

Additionally, Cohen wants the council to work on the problem with Baltimore City Schools CEO Sonja Santelises. Cohen didn’t provide details on when a meeting might be scheduled.

A city schools spokesperson said in an email that the school system is “always open to continued collaboration with our City Leaders about solutions to all issues affecting our schools, staff, students, and school community,” including “chronic absenteeism.”

The recent push in city government follows a series of stories published in The Baltimore Sun late last year, examining the causes of chronic absenteeism, which spiked dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the possible solutions proposed by city and state leaders, truancy court, and efforts of local mentors and teachers to help students stay in school.

The report the City Council wants from city schools would examine a sample of schools, identifying the dates and reasons for student absences, their economic class, the involvement of their parents and siblings in their education, the type of transportation they use, the type of school they attend, and the locations of their schools and homes.

If the resolution passes, city schools would need to prepare the report within 180 days and present it to the council at a hearing.

City schools said it has shared data and insight on its efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism in the past and stands “ready to contribute further as the City Council considers this item.”

“City Schools and City leaders share the same understanding — students who attend school daily have a better chance for success in the classroom and in life,” a spokesperson said.

Santelises met with the City Council in August of 2022 to discuss school violence and absenteeism. She said at the time that some children were working instead of going to school due to the pandemic.

Cohen on Wednesday said the MTA bus system is “not retrofitted for getting kids to school on time” and noted some kids come from “unstable” families where a parent may be struggling with addiction or other issues. He said he shares a goal with Santelises and Mayor Brandon Scott that everyone who graduates from a city school has access to a career and college opportunity — which is not possible for kids who are chronically absent.

“My conversations with Dr. Santelises and her team have been about, ‘What are the ways in which the council, the mayor, city schools, the MTA, our state partners can all work together to address this goal?’ ” Cohen said.

Chronic absenteeism also is being discussed at the state level. In 2024, data presented by the Maryland State Department of Education showed the rate of chronic absenteeism increased 10 percentage points since 2016. Several state lawmakers told The Baltimore Sun late last year they planned to introduce legislation on the issue this session, requiring things like virtual school options and later school start times.

Have a news tip? Contact Brooke Conrad at bconrad@baltsun.com, 443-682-2356 or @conrad_brooke on X.