House File 816 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
(SUCCESSOR TO HF 415)
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 2410HV 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, create a grant application process and
1 7 application forms, and provide technical assistance to school
1 8 attendance task force pilot project program grant recipients
1 9 as provided in section 299.26.
1 10 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 299.25 SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TASK FORCE
1 11 PILOT PROJECT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.
1 12 If the general assembly appropriates moneys for the
1 13 establishment of a school attendance task force pilot project
1 14 program, the department of education shall establish and
1 15 coordinate a school attendance task force pilot project
1 16 program, as provided in this section and section 299.26, to
1 17 effectuate collaborative, positive interventions for truant
1 18 students with multiple needs in order to satisfactorily fill
1 19 the basic needs of the truant student and improve the
1 20 student's attendance. The program shall provide for the
1 21 establishment of school attendance task force projects for a
1 22 school year. A grant may be awarded to a consortium of school
1 23 districts that meet the requirements provided in section
1 24 299.26. The department shall establish and administer not
1 25 less than one grant to a large school district, one grant to a
1 26 medium-size school district, and one grant to a small school
1 27 district, and districts shall be selected from both rural and
1 28 urban areas. For purposes of this section, a "large school
1 29 district" is a district with an actual enrollment of five
1 30 thousand or more pupils; a "medium=size school district" is a
1 31 district with an actual enrollment that is greater than seven
1 32 hundred fifty pupils but less than five thousand pupils; and a
1 33 "small school district" is a district with an actual
1 34 enrollment of seven hundred fifty or fewer pupils.
1 35 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 299.26 GRANT CRITERIA == TASK FORCE
2 1 MEMBERS.
2 2 1. If the general assembly appropriates moneys for the
2 3 establishment of a school attendance task force pilot project
2 4 program as provided in section 299.25 and this section, the
2 5 department of education shall develop criteria and a process
2 6 for implementing school attendance task force pilot programs.
2 7 This information shall be made available to all school
2 8 districts.
2 9 2. Criteria for the selection of grant recipients shall
2 10 include but is not limited to a method for prioritizing grant
2 11 applications based on illustrated efforts to meet the multiple
2 12 needs of the truant students and their families. Criteria for
2 13 the selection shall also include a requirement that the task
2 14 force members will include representatives from the school
2 15 district or from a consortium of school districts, the office
2 16 of the county attorney, the department of human services,
2 17 local police and county sheriff's departments, and the area
2 18 juvenile court office. Evidence of excessive truancy
2 19 intervention needs may entitle a grant application to
2 20 priority, if the application includes methods of amelioration
2 21 of the problem through mediation with a student and the
2 22 student's parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian.
2 23 3. The department shall provide technical assistance to
2 24 grant recipients to establish school attendance task force
2 25 projects.
2 26 4. Grant recipients shall provide the department of
2 27 education adequate assurance that district school attendance
2 28 policies will be reviewed. Successful grant recipients shall
2 29 use a local truancy intervention task force to review the
2 30 implementation of truancy provisions in chapter 299. Grant
2 31 recipients shall provide the department with a final report on
2 32 the effects of the pilot program implementation. The final
2 33 report shall include recommendations for appropriate
2 34 adjustments to the truancy provisions in chapter 299.
2 35 5. Grant recipients shall convene a meeting of the schools
3 1 within the area, the county attorney, and a representative of
3 2 the area juvenile court office to review the support structure
3 3 needed to improve school attendance.
3 4 Sec. 4. APPROPRIATION. There is appropriated from the
3 5 general fund of the state to the department of education for
3 6 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30,
3 7 2008, the following amount, or so much thereof as is
3 8 necessary, to be used for the purpose designated:
3 9 For purposes of the school attendance task force pilot
3 10 project program established in section 299.25:
3 11 .................................................. $ 250,000
3 12 The department may retain a portion of the funds for
3 13 administrative purposes. Notwithstanding section 8.33,
3 14 unencumbered or unobligated funds remaining on June 30 of the
3 15 fiscal year for which the funds were appropriated shall not
3 16 revert but shall be available for expenditure for the
3 17 following fiscal year for the purposes designated.
3 18 EXPLANATION
3 19 This bill appropriates $250,000 from the general fund of
3 20 the state to the department of education for the 2007=2008
3 21 fiscal year for the purposes of the school attendance task
3 22 force pilot project program, which is also established under
3 23 the bill.
3 24 The department of education is charged with establishing
3 25 and coordinating a school attendance task force pilot project
3 26 program to effectuate collaborative, positive interventions
3 27 for truant students with multiple needs in order to
3 28 satisfactorily fill the basic needs of the truant student and
3 29 improve the student's attendance.
3 30 Project grants are to be awarded to school districts, or a
3 31 consortium of school districts, of various sizes that are
3 32 selected from both rural and urban areas.
3 33 The department is directed to develop criteria and a
3 34 process for implementing school attendance task force pilot
3 35 programs, and distributing the information to all school
4 1 districts.
4 2 The department is directed to include in its criteria a
4 3 requirement that the task force members include
4 4 representatives from the school district or from a consortium
4 5 of school districts, the office of the county attorney, the
4 6 department of human services, local police and county
4 7 sheriff's departments, and the area juvenile court office.
4 8 Grant recipients shall provide the department with a final
4 9 report on the effects of the pilot program implementation,
4 10 including recommendations for appropriate adjustments to the
4 11 truancy provisions in Code chapter 299.
4 12 Grant recipients shall provide the department of education
4 13 with adequate assurance that district school attendance
4 14 policies will be reviewed. Grant recipients are directed to
4 15 convene a meeting with the schools within the area, the county
4 16 attorney, and a representative of the area juvenile court
4 17 office to review the support structure needed to improve
4 18 school attendance.
4 19 LSB 2410HV 82
4 20 ak:nh/es/88