HF 704 (LSB 2572HV (2) 88)

HOUSE FILE 704

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 563)

A BILL FOR

An Act requiring the boards of directors of school districts to appoint student liaisons to the boards.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 279.3, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   279.3  Appointment of secretary and treasurer —— student liaison.
   1.  a.  The board shall appoint a secretary who shall not be a teacher employed by the board but may be another employee of the board. The board shall also appoint a treasurer who may be another employee of the board. However, the board may appoint one person to serve as the secretary and the treasurer.
   2.  b.  These officers shall be appointed from outside the membership of the board and the appointment and qualification shall be entered of record in the minutes of the secretary. They shall qualify within ten days following appointment by taking the oath of office in the manner required by section 277.28 and filing a bond as required by section 291.2 and shall hold office until their successors are appointed and qualified.
   2.  The board shall select at least one student to act as a liaison between the board, administrators, teachers, the student council, and the general student population. The board shall develop and implement an application and selection process for the position of student liaison to the board. The student liaison shall have a seat at the table of all board meetings and board subcommittee meetings in a nonvoting capacity, and shall have access to all nonconfidential board meeting materials. However, the student liaison shall not be admitted to a closed session of the board held in accordance with section 21.5, nor shall the student liaison have access to information in a record in the board’s custody that is a confidential record under section 22.7. The student liaison may advocate for student interests in board meetings, provide school administrators and board members with student viewpoints, assist in developing and monitoring the implementation of education policy, or volunteer to perform other functions of benefit to the students and the district that the board deems appropriate for a student to carry out.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill requires the boards of directors of school districts to select at least one student to act as a liaison between the board, administrators, teachers, the student council, and the general student population. The student liaison must have a seat at the table of all board meetings and board subcommittee meetings in a nonvoting capacity; and have access to all nonconfidential board meeting materials. 
   However, the student liaison shall not be admitted to closed board sessions nor have access to confidential information in the board’s custody. The board must develop and implement an application and selection process. The student liaison may perform functions of benefit to the students and the district that the board deems appropriate for a student to carry out.