Educators and community leaders everywhere are trying to answer one question right now. Why are so many kids missing so much school? The technical term for it is "chronic absenteeism," and schools in Indiana are certainly familiar with it. So are lawmakers. Gov. Mike Braun recently signed a law that defines what being "chronically absent" means. It's when a student misses more than 10% of the school year — or about 18 days — for whatever reason, whether they have an excuse or just didn't show up to school. The law also requires the Indiana Department of Education to further study student absenteeism and to collect data on the reasons students are missing school and publish that information every year. MORE: https://www.wthr.com/article/news/education/indianapolis-hosts-national-conference-chronic-absenteeism-students-school-attendance-usa/531-eb5592f9-3fcd-4367-b989-227cdf2a7f25