BET

African-American elementary students in California were chronically truant at nearly four times the rate of all students during the last school year, according to a state report released Friday.

The report by the California Attorney General's office is the first time the data has been broken down according to race and income levels. Officials say such data is needed to address the problem.

Poverty and suspensions are contributing factors. [poverty is a symptom of white supremacy] 

Overall, more than 250,000 elementary school students missed 10 percent or more of the 2013-2014 school year or roughly 18 or more school days.

The absences were highest at the kindergarten and first-grade levels when children learn to read, according to experts.

The study found 37 percent of black elementary students sampled were truant, more than any other subgroup including homeless students, and about 15 percentage points higher than the rate for all students.

Statewide, an estimated 73,000 black elementary students were truant last school year.