House File 2547 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2547 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2254) A BILL FOR An Act requiring the development of an attendance improvement 1 plan when a student is chronically absent from school. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5466HV (2) 90 jda/jh
H.F. 2547 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 299.1C Students who are chronically 1 absent. 2 1. When a student who is enrolled in a public school was 3 absent from school for at least ten percent of the school days 4 in the prior school year for any reason, all of the following 5 persons shall meet to discuss how to improve the student’s 6 attendance, create an attendance improvement plan, and sign the 7 attendance improvement plan: 8 a. The student’s parent, guardian, or legal or actual 9 custodian, if the student is not an emancipated minor. 10 b. The student, if the student is an emancipated minor. 11 c. A representative of the public school in which the 12 student is enrolled. 13 d. A representative of the county attorney of a county in 14 which the school district is located. 15 2. During the meeting described in subsection 1, the 16 representative of the county attorney shall provide the 17 student or the student’s parent, guardian, or legal or actual 18 custodian, as applicable, with information related to this 19 state’s laws related to attendance requirements, penalties 20 associated with violating the attendance requirements, and 21 exceptions to the attendance requirements. 22 EXPLANATION 23 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 24 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 25 This bill requires the development of an attendance 26 improvement plan when a student is chronically absent from 27 school. 28 The bill provides that, when a student who is enrolled 29 in a public school was absent from school for at least 10 30 percent of the school days in the prior school year for any 31 reason, the student or the student’s parent, guardian, or 32 custodian, as applicable, a representative of the public 33 school, and a representative of the county attorney of a county 34 in which the public school is located shall meet to discuss 35 -1- LSB 5466HV (2) 90 jda/jh 1/ 2
H.F. 2547 how to improve the student’s attendance, create an attendance 1 improvement plan, and sign the attendance improvement plan. 2 The bill requires that, during the meeting, the representative 3 of the county attorney shall provide the student or the 4 student’s parent, guardian, or custodian, as applicable, 5 with information related to this state’s laws related to 6 attendance requirements, penalties associated with violating 7 the attendance requirements, and exceptions to the attendance 8 requirements. 9 -2- LSB 5466HV (2) 90 jda/jh 2/ 2