House Study Bill 585 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON WHEELER) A BILL FOR An Act modifying the earliest possible start date of the school 1 calendar for school districts and accredited nonpublic 2 schools. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5628HC (2) 90 jda/jh

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 279.10, subsection 1, Code 2024, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 1. The school year for each school district and accredited 3 nonpublic school shall begin on July 1 and the school calendar 4 shall begin no sooner than August 23 , but if August 23 5 is a weekday other than Monday, no sooner than the Monday 6 immediately preceding August 23, and no later than the first 7 Monday in December. The school calendar shall include not 8 less than one hundred eighty days or one thousand eighty hours 9 of instruction during the calendar year, of which not more 10 than five days or thirty hours of instruction may be delivered 11 primarily over the internet except as otherwise provided in 12 section 256.43 or in rules adopted by the state board of 13 education pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 32 . The board 14 of directors of a school district and the authorities in 15 charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall determine the 16 school start date for the school calendar in accordance with 17 this subsection and shall set the number of days or hours of 18 required attendance for the school year as provided in section 19 299.1, subsection 2 , but the board of directors of a school 20 district shall hold a public hearing on any proposed school 21 calendar prior to adopting the school calendar. If the board 22 of directors of a district or the authorities in charge of an 23 accredited nonpublic school extends the school calendar because 24 inclement weather caused the school district or accredited 25 nonpublic school to temporarily close during the regular school 26 calendar, the school district or accredited nonpublic school 27 may excuse a graduating senior who has met district or school 28 requirements for graduation from attendance during the extended 29 school calendar. A school corporation may begin employment 30 of personnel for in-service training and development purposes 31 before the date to begin elementary and secondary school. 32 EXPLANATION 33 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 34 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 35 -1- LSB 5628HC (2) 90 jda/jh 1/ 2

H.F. _____ This bill modifies the earliest possible start date of the 1 school calendar for school districts and accredited nonpublic 2 schools. Current law provides that the school calendar for 3 school districts and accredited nonpublic schools shall begin 4 no sooner than August 23. The bill modifies this provision 5 to provide that, if August 23 is a weekday other than Monday, 6 the school calendar shall begin no sooner than the Monday 7 immediately preceding August 23. 8 -2- LSB 5628HC (2) 90 jda/jh 2/ 2