HF 606 (LSB 1943HV (1) 90)

HOUSE FILE 606

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 393)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to nonpublic schools, including authorizing nonpublic schools to withdraw applications for accreditation, authorizing accredited nonpublic schools to terminate accreditation, and including applicability provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.11, subsection 10, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2023, is amended to read as follows:
   The state board shall establish, and the department shall use, for the school year commencing July 1, 2021, and each succeeding school year, an accreditation, monitoring, and enforcement process for school districts and nonpublic schools seeking accreditation pursuant to this subsection and subsections 11 and 12.  A nonpublic school may withdraw its application for accreditation submitted under this subsection, or terminate the nonpublic school’s accreditation granted under this subsection, at any time by providing written notice to the director. Upon receipt of the written notice, the department shall cease all accreditation, monitoring, and enforcement process activities related to the nonpublic school. The process established shall include all of the following requirements:
    Sec. 2.  APPLICABILITY.
   1.  This Act applies to all applications for accreditation submitted to the director of the department of education pursuant to section 256.11, subsection 10, before, on, or after the effective date of this Act.
   2.  This Act applies to all nonpublic schools accredited by the department of education pursuant to section 256.11, subsection 10, before, on, or after the effective date of this Act.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to nonpublic schools, including authorizing nonpublic schools to withdraw applications for accreditation and authorizing accredited nonpublic schools to terminate accreditation.
   The bill authorizes a nonpublic school to withdraw its application for accreditation submitted to the director of the department of education, or terminate its accreditation, at any time by providing written notice to the director. The bill requires the department to cease all accreditation, monitoring, and enforcement process activities related to the nonpublic school upon receipt of the written notice.
   The bill applies to all applications for accreditation that nonpublic schools submitted to the director before, on, or after the effective date of the bill. The bill also applies to all nonpublic schools accredited by the department before, on, or after the effective date of the bill.