SF 2339 (LSB 6112XS (2) 89)

SENATE FILE 2339

BY  CELSI

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to excused absences for public school district student mental health days.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 299.1, Code 2022, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  3.  The board of directors of a public school district shall excuse up to three days in a school year for a student in grade nine, ten, eleven, or twelve for mental health. The absence shall be excused if the student’s school receives notification of the absence prior to the start of regularly scheduled school hours for the day the absence is being taken. The board of directors of a public school district shall not require a doctor’s note or other evidence of the purpose of the absence.
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 board of directors of a public school district to excuse up to three days in a school year for a student in grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 for mental health if the student notifies the student’s school of the absence prior to the start of regularly scheduled school hours for the day the absence is being taken. The board of directors of a public school district shall not require a doctor’s note or other evidence of the purpose of the absence.