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