House Study Bill 31 - 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 1598YC (1) 91 jda/jh
H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 279.10, subsection 1, Code 2025, 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 the earlier of August 23 or the 5 first Wednesday following the final day of the Iowa state fair 6 and no later than the first Monday in December. The school 7 calendar shall include not less than one hundred eighty days or 8 one thousand eighty hours of instruction during the calendar 9 year, of which not more than five days or thirty hours of 10 instruction may be delivered primarily over the internet except 11 as otherwise provided in section 256.43 or in rules adopted 12 by the state board of education pursuant to section 256.7, 13 subsection 32 . The board of directors of a school district and 14 the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school 15 shall determine the school start date for the school calendar 16 in accordance with this subsection and shall set the number 17 of days or hours of required attendance for the school year 18 as provided in section 299.1, subsection 2 , but the board of 19 directors of a school district shall hold a public hearing 20 on any proposed school calendar prior to adopting the school 21 calendar. If the board of directors of a district or the 22 authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school extends 23 the school calendar because inclement weather caused the school 24 district or accredited nonpublic school to temporarily close 25 during the regular school calendar, the school district or 26 accredited nonpublic school may excuse a graduating senior 27 who has met district or school requirements for graduation 28 from attendance during the extended school calendar. A school 29 corporation may begin employment of personnel for in-service 30 training and development purposes before the date to begin 31 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 1598YC (1) 91 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 the school calendar shall, instead, begin no 6 sooner than the earlier of August 23 or the first Wednesday 7 following the final day of the Iowa state fair. 8 -2- LSB 1598YC (1) 91 jda/jh 2/ 2