Senate Study Bill 1064 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON SINCLAIR) A BILL FOR An Act relating to temporary in-person and remote learning 1 instruction and instructional time requirements for school 2 districts and accredited nonpublic schools, and including 3 effective date provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1913XC (6) 89 kh/jh

S.F. _____ Section 1. IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION DURING THE 2020-2021 1 SCHOOL YEAR. 2 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 3 including 2020 Iowa Acts, chapter 1107, beginning no later than 4 the second Monday following the effective date of this Act and 5 ending June 30, 2021, a brick-and-mortar school district or 6 accredited nonpublic school shall provide an opportunity for 7 a parent or guardian of each student enrolled in the school 8 district or accredited nonpublic school to select full-time 9 in-person instruction for the parent’s or guardian’s student 10 unless this requirement is explicitly waived for one or 11 more school districts or accredited nonpublic schools in a 12 proclamation of a public health disaster emergency issued by 13 the governor pursuant to section 29C.6 and related to COVID-19. 14 A school district or accredited nonpublic school that is not 15 providing an opportunity for full-time in-person instruction 16 on the effective date of this Act shall provide to the parents 17 and guardians of students enrolled in the school district 18 or accredited nonpublic school notice of the opportunity to 19 select full-time in-person instruction and shall allow the 20 parent or guardian at least five days to decide whether to 21 select the full-time in-person option if the school district or 22 accredited nonpublic school will also continue to offer other 23 instructional options. 24 2. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 25 any instruction provided by a school district or accredited 26 nonpublic school shall be deemed to meet the days and hours 27 of instructional time requirements of Iowa law only if the 28 instruction is provided in compliance with all requirements 29 of Iowa law, including this Act; or pursuant to 2020 Iowa 30 Acts, chapter 1107; or under a proclamation of a public health 31 disaster emergency issued by the governor pursuant to section 32 29C.6 and related to COVID-19. 33 Sec. 2. REQUESTS TO MOVE TO REMOTE LEARNING FOR A SCHOOL 34 BUILDING OR DISTRICT. For the school year beginning July 1, 35 -1- LSB 1913XC (6) 89 kh/jh 1/ 3

S.F. _____ 2020, and ending June 30, 2021, in determining whether to grant 1 permission to a school district or accredited nonpublic school 2 to provide primarily continuous remote learning, in addition to 3 the positivity rate in the county in which the school district 4 or school is located and the percentage of student absenteeism 5 in the school district or school, the department of education 6 shall consider data regarding the number of teachers employed 7 by the school district or school who are quarantining due to 8 exposure to COVID-19, as well as the scarcity of substitute 9 teachers and school bus drivers. 10 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 11 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 12 EXPLANATION 13 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 14 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 15 This bill relates to educational instruction requirements 16 for certain school districts and accredited nonpublic schools. 17 The bill requires, beginning no later than the second Monday 18 following the effective date of the bill and ending June 19 30, 2021, a brick-and-mortar school district or accredited 20 nonpublic school to provide an opportunity for a parent or 21 guardian of each student enrolled in the school district or 22 accredited nonpublic school to select full-time in-person 23 instruction for the parent’s or guardian’s student unless 24 this requirement is explicitly waived for one or more school 25 districts or accredited nonpublic schools in proclamation of 26 a public health disaster emergency issued by the governor 27 pursuant to Code section 29C.6 and related to COVID-19. A 28 school district or accredited nonpublic school that is not 29 providing an opportunity for full-time in-person instruction 30 on the effective date of the bill must provide to the parents 31 and guardians of students enrolled in the school district or 32 accredited nonpublic school notice of the opportunity to select 33 full-time in-person instruction and shall allow the parent or 34 guardian at least five days to decide whether to select the 35 -2- LSB 1913XC (6) 89 kh/jh 2/ 3

S.F. _____ full-time in-person instruction option if the school district 1 or accredited nonpublic school will also continue to offer 2 other instructional options. 3 Any instruction provided by a school district or accredited 4 nonpublic school shall be deemed to meet the days and hours 5 of instructional time requirements of Iowa law only if the 6 instruction is provided in compliance with all requirements 7 of Iowa law, including the bill; or pursuant to 2020 Iowa 8 Acts, chapter 1107; or under a proclamation of a public health 9 disaster emergency issued by the governor pursuant to Code 10 section 29C.6 and related to COVID-19. 11 For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020, and ending 12 June 30, 2021, the department of education, in determining 13 whether to grant permission to a school district or accredited 14 nonpublic school to provide primarily continuous remote 15 learning, is directed to consider data regarding the number 16 of teachers who are quarantining due to exposure to COVID-19, 17 as well as the scarcity of substitute teachers and school bus 18 drivers. 19 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 20 -3- LSB 1913XC (6) 89 kh/jh 3/ 3