House File 2254 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE 2254
BY GRASSLEY, COLLINS, HOLT,
DUNWELL, THOMSON, JOHNSON,
CARLSON, GUSTOFF, WILLS,
and FISHER
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to student public school attendance, including
2 by modifying provisions related to state aid payments
3 to school districts and requiring the development of an
4 attendance improvement plan when a student is chronically
5 absent from school.
6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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H.F. 2254
1 Section 1. Section 257.17, Code 2024, is amended to read as
2 follows:
3 257.17 Aid reduction for early school starts.
4 1. State aid payments made pursuant to section 257.16 for
5 a fiscal year shall be reduced by one one-hundred-eightieth
6 for each day of that fiscal year for which the school district
7 begins school before the earliest school start date specified
8 in section 279.10, subsection 1.
9 2. This section does Subsection 1 shall not apply to a
10 school district attendance center that has received approval
11 from the department of education under section 279.10,
12 subsection 2, to maintain a year-round school calendar
13 that commences classes in advance of the school start date
14 established in section 279.10, subsection 1. The department of
15 management shall prorate the reduction made pursuant to this
16 section subsection 1 to account for an attendance center in
17 a school district that is approved to maintain a year-round
18 school calendar under section 279.10, subsection 2.
19 3. a. State aid paid pursuant to section 257.16 for a
20 fiscal year shall be reduced by the department of management in
21 an amount equal to the product of the state cost per pupil for
22 the budget year multiplied by the number of chronically absent
23 students enrolled in the school district during the base year.
24 The reduction made pursuant to this paragraph shall be divided
25 between each monthly installment as evenly as possible.
26 b. Paragraph “a” shall not apply to school districts in
27 which the total number of chronically absent students enrolled
28 in the school district in the base year is less than twenty
29 percent of the school district’s total enrollment.
30 c. For purposes of this subsection, “chronically absent
31 student” means a student who was absent from school for at least
32 ten percent of the school days in the base year for any reason.
33 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 299.1C Students who are chronically
34 absent.
35 1. When a student who is enrolled in a public school was
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H.F. 2254
1 absent from school for at least ten percent of the school days
2 in the prior school year for any reason, all of the following
3 persons shall meet to discuss how to improve the student’s
4 attendance, create an attendance improvement plan, and sign the
5 attendance improvement plan:
6 a. The student’s parent, guardian, or legal or actual
7 custodian, if the student is not an emancipated minor.
8 b. The student, if the student is an emancipated minor.
9 c. A representative of the public school in which the
10 student is enrolled.
11 d. A representative of the county attorney of a county in
12 which the school district is located.
13 2. During the meeting described in subsection 1, the
14 representative of the county attorney shall provide the
15 student or the student’s parent, guardian, or legal or actual
16 custodian, as applicable, with information related to this
17 state’s laws related to attendance requirements, penalties
18 associated with violating the attendance requirements, and
19 exceptions to the attendance requirements.
20 EXPLANATION
21 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
22 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
23 This bill relates to student public school attendance,
24 including by modifying provisions related to state aid payments
25 to school districts and requiring the development of an
26 attendance improvement plan when a student is chronically
27 absent from school.
28 The bill requires the department of management to reduce
29 the state aid payments to school districts made pursuant to
30 Code section 257.16 (state foundation aid appropriations) for
31 a fiscal year in an amount equal to the product of the state
32 cost per pupil for the budget year multiplied by the number of
33 chronically absent students enrolled in the school district in
34 the prior year. The bill provides that this reduction shall be
35 divided between each monthly installment as evenly as possible.
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H.F. 2254
1 The bill provides that this reduction shall not apply to school
2 districts in which the total number of chronically absent
3 students enrolled in the school district in the prior year is
4 less than 20 percent of the school district’s total enrollment.
5 The bill defines “chronically absent student” as a student who
6 is enrolled in a school district and who was absent from school
7 for at least 10 percent of the school days in the prior school
8 year for any reason.
9 The bill provides that, when a student who is enrolled
10 in a public school was absent from school for at least 10
11 percent of the school days in the prior school year for any
12 reason, the student or the student’s parent, guardian, or
13 custodian, as applicable, a representative of the public
14 school, and a representative of the county attorney of a county
15 in which the public school is located shall meet to discuss
16 how to improve the student’s attendance, create an attendance
17 improvement plan, and sign the attendance improvement plan.
18 The bill requires that, during the meeting, the representative
19 of the county attorney shall provide the student or the
20 student’s parent, guardian, or custodian, as applicable,
21 with information related to this state’s laws related to
22 attendance requirements, penalties associated with violating
23 the attendance requirements, and exceptions to the attendance
24 requirements.
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Statutes affected: Introduced: 257.17