CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has signed legislation lowering the compulsory attendance age for school children from seven to six, starting next year.

The move comes in the wake of a Chicago Tribune investigation of chronic absenteeism among Chicago’s kindergarteners and first-graders. The newspaper found almost 18 percent of the young students were chronically truant.

“Too many kids are missing school and missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. We want to change that,” Quinn said at a signing ceremony Sunday at Chicago’s Nash Elementary School, according to the Tribune.

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From the Chicago Tribune:

“While officials for years have published upbeat attendance statistics, roughly 32,000 CPS elementary students – or 1 in 8 – missed at least four weeks of classes … data show, and thousands more simply vanished from the rolls.

“The missed days were particularly common among African-American youths and children with disabilities, the Tribune showed.”

Lowering the school age to six is a rare education initiative that has the unanimous support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union.

“Children for too long have been coming into school for the first time at age 7, and we have to start them in first or second grade,” Nash Elementary Principal Tresa Dunbar told the Tribune at the signing ceremony.

Lowering the mandatory age to six “is going to be the best thing the legislature has done in a long time. It is absolutely critical,” she said.

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The bill was opposed by Republicans in the state Senate, who argued the change would infringe on parental rights and increase education costs, according to the Tribune.

Experts from other states that have lowered the mandatory school age “said the cost has been minimal because most families enroll their children in kindergarten – so the schools are providing desks and services whether the students attend regularly or not,” the newspaper reports.

Illinois joined 26 other states that require students to attend school at age 6. In 13 states the minimum age is 7, while eight states and the District of Columbia require attendance at age 5, the Tribune reports.

Quinn is also assembling a task force to address the specific reasons students aren’t coming to school. Quinn told the Tribune he expects to appoint members to the task force soon with the goal of beginning work on the issue by the end of September.