House File 40 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY HEDDENS, HUNTER, ABDUL=SAMAD, FORD, WHITEAD, WENDT, DOLECHECK, GASKILL, LUKAN, MURPHY, KELLEY, D. TAYLOR, BERRY, WHITAKER, PALMER, and D. OLSON (COMPANION TO LSB 1343SS BY DANDEKAR) Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to the compulsory school attendance age and 2 providing effective dates. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1343HH 83 5 kh/nh/14 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 299.1A, Code 2009, is amended to read 1 2 as follows: 1 3 299.1A COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE AGE. 1 4 1. a.AExcept as provided in paragraph "b" and section 1 5 299.2, a child who has reached the age of sixand is under 1 6 sixteenthrough seventeen years of age by September 15 is of 1 7 compulsory attendance age.However, if a child enrolled in a 1 8 school district or accredited nonpublic school reaches the age 1 9 of sixteen on or after September 15, the child remains of 1 10 compulsory age until the end of the regular school calendar.1 11 b. A child who will receive competent private instruction 1 12 in accordance with chapter 299A and who reaches the age of six 1 13 by September 15 is of compulsory attendance age. A child 1 14 receiving such private instruction is of compulsory attendance 1 15 age until the age of sixteen if the child reaches age sixteen 1 16 on or before September 15. A child receiving such private 1 17 instruction who reaches age sixteen on or after September 15 1 18 remains of compulsory attendance age until the end of the 1 19 school year. 1 20 2. a. An individual who reaches the age of eighteen on or 1 21 after September 15 during the school year and intends to 1 22 terminate school enrollment prior to graduation is encouraged 1 23 to file with the board of directors of the school district or 1 24 the accredited nonpublic school of enrollment a formal 1 25 declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment and, to 1 26 the degree possible, participate in an exit interview pursuant 1 27 to paragraph "b" and complete a survey in accordance with 1 28 paragraph "c". The school district or accredited nonpublic 1 29 school shall make every effort to notify the individual's 1 30 parent or guardian of receipt of the individual's declaration 1 31 of intent to terminate school enrollment. 1 32 b. To the degree possible, a guidance counselor or other 1 33 school personnel designated by the school district or 1 34 accredited nonpublic school shall conduct an exit interview 1 35 with the individual to do all of the following: 2 1 (1) Determine the reasons for the individual's decision to 2 2 terminate school enrollment. 2 3 (2) Discuss actions that could be taken to assist the 2 4 individual to stay in school. 2 5 (3) Inform the individual of opportunities to continue the 2 6 individual's education in a different environment, including 2 7 but not limited to adult education and test preparation 2 8 designed to qualify the individual for a high school 2 9 equivalency diploma. 2 10 c. To the degree possible, the individual and the 2 11 individual's parent or guardian are encouraged to complete a 2 12 survey provided by the school district in a format prescribed 2 13 by the department of education to provide data on the 2 14 individual's reasons for terminating enrollment and actions 2 15 taken by the school to keep the individual enrolled. The 2 16 survey shall include an open=ended question asking why the 2 17 individual is dropping out of school. The school district or 2 18 accredited nonpublic school shall submit the data from the 2 19 completed surveys to the department of education annually. 2 20 Sec. 2. Section 299.2, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2009, 2 21 is amended to read as follows: 2 22SectionSections 299.1 and 299.1A shall not apply to any 2 23 child: 2 24 Sec. 3. Section 299A.8, Code 2009, is amended to read as 2 25 follows: 2 26 299A.8 DUAL ENROLLMENT. 2 27 If a parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a child who is 2 28 receiving competent private instruction under this chapteror 2 29 a child over compulsory age who is receiving private 2 30 instructionsubmits a request, the child shall also be 2 31 registered in a public school for dual enrollment purposes. 2 32 If the child is enrolled in a public school district for dual 2 33 enrollment purposes, the child shall be permitted to 2 34 participate in any academic activities in the district and 2 35 shall also be permitted to participate on the same basis as 3 1 public school children in any extracurricular activities 3 2 available to children in the child's grade or group, and the 3 3 parent, guardian, or legal custodian shall not be required to 3 4 pay the costs of any annual evaluation under this chapter. If 3 5 the child is enrolled for dual enrollment purposes, the child 3 6 shall be included in the public school's basic enrollment 3 7 under section 257.6. A pupil who is participating only in 3 8 extracurricular activities shall be counted under section 3 9 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph "a", subparagraph (6). A pupil 3 10 enrolled in grades nine through twelve under this section 3 11 shall be counted in the same manner as a shared=time pupil 3 12 under section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph "a", subparagraph 3 13 (3). 3 14 Sec. 4. SCHOOL DISTRICT COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE SUPPORT 3 15 REVIEW. The board of directors of each school district shall, 3 16 during the school year beginning July 1, 2009, convene a 3 17 working group comprised of educational and community 3 18 stakeholders to review financial and programmatic supports for 3 19 students affected by an increase in the compulsory attendance 3 20 age from sixteen through seventeen. The working group shall 3 21 consider, at a minimum, the necessity of expansion of support 3 22 programs and services for such students, web=based at=risk 3 23 academy courses, summer school offerings, credit recovery 3 24 efforts, mentoring and tutoring services, before and after 3 25 school supports, career academies, and at=risk allowable 3 26 growth provisions, and the use of the instructional support 3 27 levy. The working group shall include in the comprehensive 3 28 school improvement plan submitted to the department of 3 29 education in accordance with section 256.7, subsection 21, a 3 30 plan for addressing the needs of students at risk of dropping 3 31 out, including any proposed changes to the local program or 3 32 funding priorities. 3 33 Sec. 5. COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE WORKING GROUP. The 3 34 department of education shall convene a working group 3 35 comprised of the director of the department of education, or 4 1 the director's designee, and other education stakeholders 4 2 appointed by the department to review supports for students 4 3 affected by an increase in the compulsory attendance age from 4 4 sixteen to eighteen years of age. The working group shall 4 5 consider, at a minimum, the necessity of expansion of support 4 6 programs and services for such students, online at=risk 4 7 academy courses, career academies, and current at=risk 4 8 allowable growth provisions, and full funding of the 4 9 instructional support levy. The working group shall submit 4 10 its findings and recommendations, including any proposed 4 11 changes in policy or statute, to the state board of education 4 12 and the general assembly by January 15, 2010. 4 13 Sec. 6. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 4 14 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 4 15 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 4 16 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 4 17 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 4 18 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 4 19 to meet all the state funding=related requirements of section 4 20 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be 4 21 necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and 4 22 enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts. 4 23 Sec. 7. EFFECTIVE DATES. The section of this Act 4 24 providing for a compulsory attendance working group takes 4 25 effect July 1, 2009, and the remainder of the Act takes effect 4 26 July 1, 2010. 4 27 EXPLANATION 4 28 This bill raises the compulsory school attendance age from 4 29 16 to 17 for students other than those receiving competent 4 30 private instruction. The bill encourages students, other than 4 31 those who received competent private instruction, who reach 4 32 age 18 on or after September 15 and intend to leave school, to 4 33 file with the school district or accredited nonpublic school a 4 34 formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment 4 35 and, to the degree possible, participate in an exit interview 5 1 and complete a survey that will provide data annually to the 5 2 department of education regarding the reasons students are 5 3 terminating enrollment. 5 4 The school district or nonpublic school must make every 5 5 effort to notify the individual's parent or guardian of a 5 6 student's intent to terminate enrollment. To the degree 5 7 possible, in conducting the exit interview, school personnel 5 8 must determine the reasons for the individual's decision to 5 9 terminate school enrollment, discuss actions that could be 5 10 taken to assist the individual to stay in school, and inform 5 11 the individual of opportunities to continue the individual's 5 12 education in a different environment, including but not 5 13 limited to adult education and test preparation designed to 5 14 qualify the individual for a high school equivalency diploma. 5 15 The survey must include an open=ended question asking why the 5 16 student is dropping out. 5 17 The bill directs each school district to convene a working 5 18 group during the 2009=2010 school year to review financial and 5 19 programmatic supports for students affected by the increase in 5 20 the compulsory age of attendance. The working group must 5 21 include in the school district's comprehensive school 5 22 improvement plan a plan for addressing the needs of students 5 23 at risk of dropping out. 5 24 The bill also directs the department of education to 5 25 convene a compulsory attendance working group. The working 5 26 group is to review supports for affected students and to 5 27 consider the necessity of expanding support programs and 5 28 services, online at=risk academy courses, career academies, 5 29 current at=risk allowable growth provisions, and full funding 5 30 of the instructional support levy. The working group must 5 31 submit a report to the general assembly and the department of 5 32 education by January 15, 2010. 5 33 The bill includes technical amendments to eliminate a 5 34 reference to the compulsory attendance age for purposes of 5 35 dual enrollment and to exempt children who meet conditions 6 1 existing in Code section 299.2. 6 2 The provision relating to the compulsory attendance working 6 3 group takes effect July 1, 2009, while the remainder of the 6 4 bill takes effect July 1, 2010. 6 5 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 6 6 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any 6 7 state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 6 8 district from state school foundation aid received by the 6 9 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 6 10 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state 6 11 mandate funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2. 6 12 The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate 6 13 the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any 6 14 state mandates included in the bill. 6 15 LSB 1343HH 83 6 16 kh/nh/14