Legislators and Oregon Department of Education officials told the Senate Education Committee on April 30 that House Bill 3218 would study expansion of the Tribal Attendance Promising Practices (TAP) grant program, which targets chronic absenteeism among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students.

Sarah Arbuckle read testimony for Representative Hoa Nguyen in support of HB 3218 and cited statewide attendance data: “During the 2122 school year, 36 percent of students across Oregon were chronically absent. Among American Indian and Alaska Native students, that number was significantly higher, more than 50% according to the Oregon Department of Education.” The bill would require the Department of Education and the Legislative Commission on Indian Services to study opportunities to expand TAP — including possible increases in funding — and produce a report by Sept. 15, 2026.

April Campbell, Assistant Superintendent in the Office of Indian Education, and Stacy Parrish, an Indian Education Specialist, described TAP’s design and results. They said TAP currently funds full-time family advocates and site teams in 10 districts (nine geographically adjacent to Oregon tribes and one urban site) and serves roughly 6,425 AIAN-plus students in districts that together enroll nearly 62,000 students. Campbell said TAP districts use community‑based, research-backed strategies — school-based advocates, direct family outreach, intergovernmental agreements and shared training — and that participating districts have reported improved communication with families and higher attendance.

Program design and requirements: TAP requires a three-person site team (district project director, tribal partner representative and a full-time TAP family advocate) and funding to support the advocate; sites are expected to “indigenize” evidence-based attendance strategies and to serve all students in TAP schools while targeting services to AIAN students. ODE witnesses described TAP’s data-driven monitoring and noted TAP’s emphasis on partnership with tribes.

Committee outcome: The hearing was informational; the bill would direct ODE and the Legislative Commission on Indian Services to study expansion options and report back to interim education committees by Sept. 15, 2026. No committee vote was taken at the April 30 hearing.