Multnomah Youth Commission Aims to Combat Chronic Absenteeism

The Multnomah Youth Commission (MYC) is the official youth policy body for the City of Portland and Multnomah County. Since November 2023, the MYC Education/Youth Voice Subcommittee of the MYC has been meeting with state legislators, county and city leaders, and leaders of education organizations to advocate for later high school start times to combat high school chronic absenteeism in Oregon.

Oregon, both pre- and post-pandemic, has been ranked nationally as one of the states with the highest levels of chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year. Chronic absenteeism affects marginalized communities more profoundly and leads to a wide variety of social, academic, and health risks such as higher rates of car accidents, sports accidents, and lower academic performance.

The MYC firmly believes that the best way to mitigate the effects of chronic absenteeism is to change start times in order to give students more time to sleep and get ready in the morning. Students, staff, parents, scientists, and community advocates all agree.

As youth, commissioners are impacted by the systemic issues caused by chronic absenteeism and lack of sleep, and also see the impact of those issues on their peers and community members. This is why MYC advocated during the 2025 Legislative Session for the Oregon Legislative Assembly to support and pass legislation at the next legislative session to codify an equitable school start time for students and to pioneer better educational practices in the nation.

And the work continues! In early August, youth commissioners will be sitting down with KGW's Straight Talk to continue the discussion about chronic absenteeism and the benefits of later school start times.

Learn more about the MYC!