Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 - Introduced

PAG LIN





  1  1          SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. ___
  1  2                       BY  BOLKCOM
  1  3 A Concurrent Resolution requesting that the
  1  4    legislative council establish an interim study
  1  5    committee to review Iowa's truancy laws.
  1  6    WHEREAS, students who are continually absent from
  1  7 school and become truant are more likely to fail to
  1  8 maintain academic pace with their peers and to be at
  1  9 risk of dropping out of school; and
  1 10    WHEREAS, research indicates that truancy is a
  1 11 barrier to opportunities for future employment success
  1 12 and contributes to involvement in drug use, daytime
  1 13 crime, and violence; and
  1 14    WHEREAS, much research has recently been conducted
  1 15 to identify successful methods and programs for
  1 16 reducing truancy rates; and
  1 17    WHEREAS, a high school diploma is no longer a
  1 18 guarantee of success in either postsecondary education
  1 19 or the world of work and students must therefore not
  1 20 only attend school but must excel in school; and
  1 21    WHEREAS, a review of Iowa's truancy laws is
  1 22 necessary in order to determine whether modifications
  1 23 to the laws, based on new research relating to truancy
  1 24 and truancy prevention, are warranted; NOW THEREFORE,
  1 25    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF
  1 26 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the legislative
  1 27 council is requested to establish a legislative
  1 28 interim study committee for the 2005 interim to review
  1 29 Iowa's truancy laws; and
  1 30    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the interim study
  2  1 committee be directed to identify the consequences of
  2  2 truancy, incentives that improve school attendance,
  2  3 best practices for truancy prevention and reduction
  2  4 efforts within Iowa, and best practices for truancy
  2  5 prevention and reduction enacted by other states; to
  2  6 develop a comprehensive definition of truancy; and to
  2  7 address early intervention approaches involving
  2  8 schools, parents, and the community, and involving
  2  9 communications and relationships between the schools
  2 10 and law enforcement and the judicial system; and
  2 11    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the interim study
  2 12 committee shall submit a report of its findings and
  2 13 recommendations relating to Iowa's truancy laws to the
  2 14 general assembly by January 15, 2006.
  2 15 LSB 1701XS 81
  2 16 kh:rj/pj/5