House File 383 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 383 BY SORENSEN (COMPANION TO SF 258 BY DONAHUE) A BILL FOR An Act providing for boards of directors of school districts to 1 include nonvoting student representatives. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1864YH (3) 90 jda/jh

H.F. 383 Section 1. Section 256.9, Code 2023, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 66. Develop and distribute to all school 3 districts a model program for the effective incorporation of 4 a student who is appointed to serve on the board of directors 5 of a school district as a nonvoting student representative 6 pursuant to section 279.4A. The model program shall include 7 suggested methods for an application and selection process for 8 the position of nonvoting student representative. 9 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 279.4A Nonvoting student 10 representative. 11 1. The board of directors of each school district shall 12 appoint at least one nonvoting student representative to serve 13 on the board of directors for a term of one year if the student 14 is enrolled in grade eleven or for a term of two years if the 15 student is enrolled in grade ten. The board of directors of 16 a school district shall develop an application and selection 17 process based on the model program developed pursuant to 18 section 256.9, subsection 66. 19 2. A nonvoting student representative shall have a seat 20 at the table of all board meetings and board subcommittee 21 meetings, shall have access to all nonconfidential board 22 meeting materials, and shall be allowed to participate in any 23 orientation provided to administrators or members of the board 24 of directors. 25 3. A nonvoting student representative may advocate 26 for student interests in board meetings, provide school 27 administrators and board members with student viewpoints, 28 assist in developing and monitoring the implementation of 29 education policy, and volunteer to perform other functions of 30 benefit to the students and the school district that the board 31 deems appropriate for the nonvoting student representative to 32 carry out. 33 4. Students enrolled in a school district in either grade 34 ten or eleven may apply to the board of directors of the school 35 -1- LSB 1864YH (3) 90 jda/jh 1/ 3

H.F. 383 district to serve as a nonvoting student representative. 1 5. A vacancy in the position of a nonvoting student 2 representative shall not be filled until the expiration of the 3 nonvoting student representative’s term. 4 6. The board of directors of a school district shall notify 5 the parents or guardians of a nonvoting student representative 6 if the nonvoting student representative’s grade point average 7 falls during the period in which the nonvoting student 8 representative serves on the board of directors of the school 9 district. 10 7. A nonvoting student representative shall have been 11 enrolled in the school district for at least one year prior to 12 the student representative’s appointment. 13 EXPLANATION 14 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 15 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 16 This bill provides for boards of directors of school 17 districts to include nonvoting student representatives. 18 The bill requires the board of directors of each 19 school district to appoint at least one nonvoting student 20 representative to serve on the board for a term of one year if 21 the student is enrolled in grade 11 or for a term of two years 22 if the student is enrolled in grade 10. The bill also requires 23 the board to develop an application and selection process for 24 the nonvoting student representative that is based on a model 25 program the bill requires the director of the department of 26 education to develop. 27 The bill provides that a nonvoting student representative 28 shall have a seat at the table of all board meetings and board 29 subcommittee meetings, have access to all nonconfidential 30 board meeting materials, and be allowed to participate 31 in any orientation provided to administrators or members 32 of the board. The bill authorizes a nonvoting student 33 representative to advocate for student interests in board 34 meetings, provide school administrators and board members with 35 -2- LSB 1864YH (3) 90 jda/jh 2/ 3

H.F. 383 student viewpoints, assist in developing and monitoring the 1 implementation of education policy, and volunteer to perform 2 other functions of benefit to the students and the school 3 district. 4 The bill provides that students enrolled in a school 5 district in either grade 10 or 11 may apply to the board to 6 serve as a nonvoting student representative. Additionally, the 7 bill provides that a vacancy in the position of a nonvoting 8 student representative shall not be filled until the expiration 9 of the nonvoting student representative’s term. 10 The bill requires the board to notify the parents or 11 guardians of a nonvoting student representative if the 12 nonvoting student representative’s grade point average falls 13 during the period in which the nonvoting student representative 14 serves on the board. 15 The bill provides that a nonvoting student representative 16 shall have been enrolled in the school district for at least 17 one year prior to the student representative’s appointment. 18 -3- LSB 1864YH (3) 90 jda/jh 3/ 3