Murphy Discusses Student Mental Health, Chronic Absenteeism, Diverse Schools With Secretary Cardona

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Tuesday spoke at a U.S. Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing on President Biden's Fiscal Year 2025 budget request for the U.S. Department of Education (ED). In his questions to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Murphy highlighted the funding in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to increase mental health services at schools and address chronic absenteeism, as well as the benefits of diverse classrooms.

On the consequences of chronic absenteeism in our schools: "I want to talk to you, Mr. Secretary, about a concerning development in our schools, that if unaddressed, potentially threatens to interrupt some of this really tremendous progress. And that's the increasing amounts of chronic absenteeism that we're seeing. There is a direct line between kids who are chronically out of school and at-risk behaviors. And so we want to continue to build on this remarkable success because the story of this drop in crime is connected to the work that we're doing in our schools.

He added: "You have a billion dollars in BSCA to use for building positive school climates and then you've got a new $8 billion initiative in this budget, that amongst other things, is dedicated to trying to attack chronic absenteeism, and trying to build safer and more welcoming schools. Can you just talk a little bit about the importance of reversing this this post pandemic trend?"

Murphy highlighted the Department of Education's efforts to support more diverse schools: "You have a really interesting demonstration grant program that you've used Title IV-A funds for, and this is the Fostering Diverse Schools Program. Listen, I'm a believer that we should be in the business of helping give our students more access to diverse schools. The data just tells us that if you're in a diverse school, a racially and economically diverse school, you're going to be more ready to learn to succeed as an adult."

He concluded by commending the example set by Secretary Cardona's hometown of Meriden, where Cardona served for years as an educator in the public school system: "I always tell this story, and I'll turn it back to you, Madam Chair, the Meriden public schools are - Connecticut does not have as many diverse school districts as we should - Meriden is one of them and the level of engagement from those students - they know what they have, they know how special their experience is, and you feel it when you walk into any of these Meriden schools."

A full transcript of his exchange with Cardona can be found below:

MURPHY: "Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Secretary, good to see you. Meriden says hello. I want just to take a moment to thank members of this committee for the work that they put in now almost two years ago, to make the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act a reality. We've already referenced it a number of times in this hearing. $13 billion, much of it going to our schools to help build in school mental health resources and build support services around children in need.

"But the data, the numbers, are really compelling. Since we passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, we have seen a stunning drop in gun crime in this country. From 2022, when we passed the bill, to 2023, we saw a 12% reduction in urban gun homicides. That's the biggest one year drop in the history of the country. While we're still collecting information on 2024, it looks as if there's going to be another massive drop in gun crime in 2024. In the 200 biggest cities in the country, the first three months of this year compared to the first three months of last year have seen a 20% average drop in crime. That's really something to celebrate.

"But I want to talk to you, Mr. Secretary, about a concerning development in our schools, that if unaddressed, potentially threatens to interrupt some of this really tremendous progress. And that's the increasing amounts of chronic absenteeism that we're seeing. There is a direct line between kids who are chronically out of school and at-risk behaviors. And so we want to continue to build on this remarkable success because the story of this drop in crime is connected to the work that we're doing in our schools.

"You have a billion dollars in BSCA to use for building positive school climates and then you've got a new $8 billion initiative in this budget, that amongst other things, is dedicated to trying to attack chronic absenteeism, and trying to build safer and more welcoming schools. Can you just talk a little bit about the importance of reversing this this post pandemic trend?"

CARDONA: "Absolutely. Thank you, Senator. You know, throughout my career, whether it was as a fourth-grade teacher or a school principal, we would track the absenteeism of our students. And it was a clear correlation between students who were missing school, and students who were struggling to get ahead academically. So we often refer to absenteeism as a symptom of something greater.

"So, the work that we're doing in this budget reflects the priority that we're making with addressing chronic absenteeism and introducing additional strategies across the country, because after the pandemic, it has gotten worse. In many states, they're much worse now than they were before the pandemic. We're holding a convening at the White House in a bipartisan fashion, May 15, to address strategies to improve chronic absenteeism. We recognize that if we don't address chronic absenteeism, all the strategies and tutoring and the support that we provide in school won't have the effect that it's supposed to have.

"It's all hands-on deck, we're working with state chiefs, we're working with superintendents, teachers groups, to make sure that this message is one that we can all get behind. Students need to be in school. Part of the strategy is also increasing full-service community schools because as I said earlier, attendance is a symptom of something else. When we have full-service community schools that are meeting the needs of the students and families, they're more likely to attend school."

MURPHY: "Let me ask one additional question, you have a really interesting demonstration grant program that you've used Title IV-A funds for, and this is the Fostering Diverse Schools Program. Listen, I'm a believer that we should be in the business of helping give our students more access to diverse schools. The data just tells us that if you're in a diverse school, a racially and economically diverse school, you're going to be more ready to learn to succeed as an adult.

"Do you have data yet to understand how those demonstration grants are succeeding, I think you've made about ten two-year planning grants, and four five-year implementation grants. And if you don't, when are we going to know the impact that those grants have had?"

CARDONA: "Sure, you know, let me just comment, as someone who grew up in an environment where I was able to attend diverse schools, and really learn how to navigate people from different cultures and understand people with different perspectives, I think that helped me in my career. And I do believe all students benefit from that. So this is something that we do stand behind, and I'd be happy to follow up with you and have my team follow up with you on some data to support that whether it's through our grants or programs that we've seen across the country."

MURPHY: "I always tell this story, and I'll turn it back to you, Madam Chair, the Meriden public schools are - Connecticut does not have as many diverse school districts as we should - Meriden is one of them and the level of engagement from those students- they know what they have, they know how special their experience is, and you feel it when you walk into any of these Meriden schools, so appreciate that context that you bring."

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