House File 415 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY MASCHER
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act providing for a school attendance task force pilot
2 program, and providing an appropriation.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 2410HH 82
5 ak/es/88
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256.9, Code 2007, is amended by adding
1 2 the following new subsection:
1 3 NEW SUBSECTION. 55. If funds are appropriated by the
1 4 general assembly for the program, establish and coordinate, as
1 5 provided in section 299.25, a school attendance task force
1 6 pilot project program, and publish and disseminate a school
1 7 attendance task force guide, create a grant application
1 8 process and application forms, and provide technical
1 9 assistance to school attendance task force pilot project
1 10 program grant recipients as provided in section 299.26.
1 11 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 299.25 SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TASK FORCE
1 12 PILOT PROJECT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.
1 13 If the general assembly appropriates moneys for the
1 14 establishment of a school attendance task force pilot project
1 15 program, the department of education shall establish and
1 16 coordinate a school attendance task for pilot project program,
1 17 as provided in this section and section 299.26, to effectuate
1 18 collaborative, positive interventions for truant students with
1 19 multiple needs in order to satisfactorily fill the basic needs
1 20 of the truant student and improve the student's attendance.
1 21 The program shall provide for the establishment of school
1 22 attendance task force projects for a school year, which shall
1 23 be located in at least five public school districts. A grant
1 24 may be awarded to a consortium of school districts that meet
1 25 the requirements provided in section 299.26. The department
1 26 shall establish and administer not less than one grant to a
1 27 large school district, one grant to a medium-size school
1 28 district, and one grant to a small school district, and
1 29 districts shall be selected from both rural and urban areas.
1 30 For purposes of this section, a "large school district" is a
1 31 district with an actual enrollment of five thousand or more
1 32 pupils; a "medium=size school district" is a district with an
1 33 actual enrollment that is greater than one thousand one
1 34 hundred ninety=nine pupils but less than five thousand pupils;
1 35 and a "small school district" is a district with an actual
2 1 enrollment of one thousand one hundred ninety=nine or fewer
2 2 pupils.
2 3 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 299.26 GRANT CRITERIA == TASK FORCE
2 4 MEMBERS.
2 5 1. If the general assembly appropriates moneys for the
2 6 establishment of a school attendance task force pilot project
2 7 program as provided in section 299.25 and this section, the
2 8 department of education shall gather information relative to
2 9 successful truancy prevention and intervention programs and
2 10 shall publish the information gathered in a school attendance
2 11 task force guide to be disseminated to public school districts
2 12 by September 1 biennially. Within the initial guide, to be
2 13 published and disseminated by September 1, 2007, the
2 14 department shall include the criteria and process to be used
2 15 in selecting school attendance task force pilot project
2 16 program grant recipients.
2 17 2. Criteria for the selection of grant recipients shall
2 18 include but is not limited to a method for prioritizing grant
2 19 applications based on illustrated efforts to meet the multiple
2 20 needs of the truant students and their families. Criteria for
2 21 the selection shall also include a requirement that the task
2 22 force members will include representatives from the school
2 23 district or from a consortium of school districts, the office
2 24 of the county attorney, the department of human services,
2 25 local police and county sheriff's departments, and the area
2 26 juvenile court office, working together under a chapter 28E
2 27 agreement. Evidence of excessive truancy intervention needs
2 28 may entitle a grant application to priority, if the
2 29 application includes methods of amelioration of the problem
2 30 through mediation with a student and the student's parent,
2 31 guardian, or legal or actual custodian.
2 32 3. The department shall create a grant application process
2 33 and application forms and shall provide technical assistance
2 34 to grant recipients to establish school attendance task force
2 35 projects.
3 1 4. Grant recipients shall provide the department of
3 2 education adequate assurance that district school attendance
3 3 policies will be reviewed.
3 4 5. Grant recipients shall convene a meeting of the schools
3 5 within the area, the county attorney, and a representative of
3 6 the area juvenile court office to review the support structure
3 7 needed to improve school attendance.
3 8 Sec. 4. APPROPRIATION. There is appropriated from the
3 9 general fund of the state to the department of education for
3 10 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30,
3 11 2008, the following amount, or so much thereof as is
3 12 necessary, to be used for the purpose designated:
3 13 For purposes of the school attendance task force pilot
3 14 project program established in section 299.25:
3 15 .................................................. $ 250,000
3 16 Notwithstanding section 8.33, unencumbered or unobligated
3 17 funds remaining on June 30 of the fiscal year for which the
3 18 funds were appropriated shall not revert but shall be
3 19 available for expenditure for the following fiscal year for
3 20 the purposes designated.
3 21 EXPLANATION
3 22 This bill appropriates $250,000 from the general fund of
3 23 the state to the department of education for the 2007=2008
3 24 fiscal year for the purposes of the school attendance task
3 25 force pilot project program, which is also established under
3 26 the bill.
3 27 The department of education is charged with establishing
3 28 and coordinating a school attendance task force pilot project
3 29 program to effectuate collaborative, positive interventions
3 30 for truant students with multiple needs in order to
3 31 satisfactorily fill the basic needs of the truant student and
3 32 improve the student's attendance.
3 33 Five project grants are to be awarded to school districts,
3 34 or a consortium of school districts, of various sizes that are
3 35 selected from both rural and urban areas.
4 1 The department is directed to gather, publish, and
4 2 disseminate to school districts, biennially, information
4 3 relative to successful truancy prevention and intervention
4 4 programs. Within the initial guide, to be published and
4 5 disseminated by September 1, 2007, the department shall
4 6 include the criteria and process to be used in selecting grant
4 7 recipients.
4 8 The department is directed to include in its criteria a
4 9 requirement that the task force members include
4 10 representatives from the school district or from a consortium
4 11 of school districts, the office of the count attorney, the
4 12 department of human services, local police and county
4 13 sheriff's departments, and the area juvenile court office.
4 14 Grant recipients shall provide the department of education
4 15 adequate assurance that district school attendance policies
4 16 will be reviewed. Grant recipients are directed to convene a
4 17 meeting of the schools within the area, the county attorney,
4 18 and a representative of the area juvenile court office to
4 19 review the support structure needed to improve school
4 20 attendance.
4 21 LSB 2410HH 82
4 22 ak:nh/es/88