1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Chronic Absenteeism Reduction in Every School (CARES) Act . 2. Findings The Congress finds the following: (1) Students who are chronically absent— meaning they miss 10 percent or more of the school year—are more likely to fall behind academically, which can lead to hardships later in life. These students are 68 percent less likely than their peers to graduate. This leaves them prone to living in poverty, suffering from diminished health, and being involved in the criminal justice system later in life. (2) The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights Data Collection found that over 7,000,000 students were chronically absent during the 2015–2016 school year. This makes up 14 percent of all students. (3) Students of color are disproportionately chronically absent compared to their White peers. Latino students are 17 percent more likely to be chronically absent, African-American students are 40 percent more likely, and American Indian and Pacific Islander students are over 50 percent more likely, according to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights Data Collection. (4) The Department of Education has found that chronic absenteeism is widespread, stemming from a wide range of often overlapping internal and external factors. External factors include homelessness, challenges within families, and transportation