Nearly 8 million students nationwide were chronically absent during the 2015-16 school year; California accounted for more than 760,000 of those children.
The Kern High School District in the Central Valley admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to settle because changes in school discipline reflect current policies.
The final report comes amid suggestions that the administration of Donald Trump will be less aggressive about enforcing civil rights laws in schools and colleges.
Citing an “ever-increasing” number of complaints about the bullying of students with disabilities, the federal government issued a letter this week reminding schools of their legal responsibility to stop such bullying or risk violating federal anti-discrimination laws.
