Senate File 420 - Introduced SENATE FILE 420 BY CHELGREN A BILL FOR An Act relating to the school start date and providing for a 1 school foundation aid reduction for early school starts 2 based upon the number of students excused to attend the Iowa 3 state fair. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1457XS (3) 86 kh/rj

S.F. 420 Section 1. Section 257.17, Code 2015, is amended by striking 1 the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following: 2 257.17 Aid reduction for early school starts —— Iowa state 3 fair attendance. 4 1. A school district shall excuse any student for a day in 5 which the student attends the Iowa state fair upon submission 6 to the school district of proof of the student’s attendance at 7 the Iowa state fair. 8 2. In the enrollment report submitted pursuant to section 9 257.6, subsection 1, the school district shall report the 10 number of students and the number of days such students were 11 excused in accordance with subsection 1. The aid payments 12 made pursuant to section 257.16 for a fiscal year shall be 13 reduced in the proportion that the number of students and 14 the number of days such students were excused by the school 15 district in accordance with subsection 1 bears to the total 16 actual enrollment of the school district and the number of 17 instructional days or hours required under section 279.10, 18 subsection 1. 19 3. This section does not apply to a school district or 20 attendance center that maintains a year-round three semester 21 school calendar. 22 Sec. 2. Section 279.10, subsection 1, Code 2015, is amended 23 to read as follows: 24 1. The school year for each school district and accredited 25 nonpublic school shall begin on July 1 and each regularly 26 established elementary and secondary school shall begin no 27 sooner than a day during the calendar week in which the first 28 day of September falls but no later than the first Monday in 29 December . However, if the first day of September falls on a 30 Sunday, school may begin on a day during the calendar week 31 which immediately precedes the first day of September. The 32 school calendar shall include not less than one hundred eighty 33 days, except as provided in subsection 3 , or one thousand 34 eighty hours of instruction during the calendar year. The 35 -1- LSB 1457XS (3) 86 kh/rj 1/ 3

S.F. 420 board of directors of a school district and the authorities in 1 charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall set the number 2 of days or hours of required attendance for the school year 3 as provided in section 299.1, subsection 2 , but the board of 4 directors of a school district shall hold a public hearing 5 on any proposed school calendar prior to adopting the school 6 calendar. If the board of directors of a district or the 7 authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school extends 8 the school calendar because inclement weather caused the school 9 district or accredited nonpublic school to temporarily close 10 during the regular school calendar, the school district or 11 accredited nonpublic school may excuse a graduating senior 12 who has met district or school requirements for graduation 13 from attendance during the extended school calendar. A school 14 corporation may begin employment of personnel for in-service 15 training and development purposes before the date to begin 16 elementary and secondary school. 17 Sec. 3. Section 279.10, subsection 4, Code 2015, is amended 18 by striking the subsection. 19 Sec. 4. Section 299.1, subsection 2, Code 2015, is amended 20 to read as follows: 21 2. The board of directors of a public school district or 22 the governing body of an accredited nonpublic school shall 23 set the number of days or hours of required attendance for 24 the schools under its control. The board of directors of a 25 public school district or the governing body of an accredited 26 nonpublic school may, by resolution, require attendance for 27 the entire time when the schools are in session in any school 28 year and adopt a policy or rules relating to the reasons 29 considered to be valid or acceptable excuses for absence from 30 school. Attendance at the Iowa state fair shall be construed 31 as a reasonable excuse for a student’s absence from school for 32 purposes of this chapter. 33 EXPLANATION 34 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 35 -2- LSB 1457XS (3) 86 kh/rj 2/ 3

S.F. 420 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 1 This bill eliminates or modifies provisions relating to the 2 current school start date limitation which prohibits public and 3 accredited nonpublic schools from beginning the school calendar 4 prior to a day during the calendar week in which September 1 5 falls or, if September 1 falls on a Sunday, prior to a day 6 during the calendar week which immediately precedes September 7 1, unless the school receives a waiver from the department of 8 education. 9 The bill provides that attendance at the Iowa state fair 10 shall be construed as a reasonable excuse for a student’s 11 absence from school for purposes of the compulsory attendance 12 laws. A school district must excuse any student for a day in 13 which the student attends the Iowa state fair upon submission 14 to the school district of proof of the student’s attendance at 15 the Iowa state fair. 16 The bill also provides for a reduction in the school 17 district’s school foundation aid payments in the proportion 18 that the number of students and the number of days such 19 students were excused by the school district bears to the total 20 actual enrollment of the school district and the number of 21 instructional days or hours required by law. School districts 22 and attendance centers that operate year-round are exempt from 23 the reduction. 24 The bill strikes a provision that authorizes the department 25 of education to grant a school district’s request to waive the 26 earliest school start date allowed. 27 -3- LSB 1457XS (3) 86 kh/rj 3/ 3