House File 598 - Reprinted HOUSE FILE 598 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HF 197) (As Amended and Passed by the House March 19, 2019 ) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the assignment of pupils who are siblings to 1 classrooms by school districts. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 HF 598 (3) 88 kh/jh/md
H.F. 598 Section 1. Section 279.11, Code 2019, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 279.11 Number of schools —— attendance —— terms —— classroom 3 assignment . 4 1. The board of directors shall determine the number of 5 schools to be taught, divide the corporation into such wards or 6 other divisions for school purposes as may be proper, determine 7 the particular school which each child shall attend, and 8 designate the period each school shall be held beyond the time 9 required by law. 10 2. a. A parent or guardian of siblings may request of 11 a school principal, that the children be placed in the same 12 classroom or in separate classrooms if the children are in the 13 same grade level academically for kindergarten through grade 14 five. The school principal in consultation with the siblings’ 15 classroom teachers for the prior school year, may recommend 16 classroom placement to the parent or guardian. The school 17 principal shall provide the placement requested by the parent 18 or guardian, unless the school principal makes a classroom 19 placement determination as provided under paragraph “b” or 20 if the placement would require the school district to add an 21 additional class at the siblings’ grade level. A request made 22 by a parent or guardian under this paragraph must be submitted 23 to the school principal at the time of registration for classes 24 or, if the children are enrolled in the school district after 25 the school year commences, within fourteen days after the 26 children’s first day of attendance during the school year. 27 b. At the end of the initial grading period following 28 the siblings’ placement in the same classroom in accordance 29 with paragraph “a” , if the school principal, in consultation 30 with the siblings’ classroom teacher and parent or guardian, 31 determines that placement in the same classroom is disruptive 32 to the class, the school principal may assign one or more of 33 the siblings to a different classroom. 34 c. For purposes of this subsection, “disruptive to the 35 -1- HF 598 (3) 88 kh/jh/md 1/ 2
H.F. 598 class” includes classroom placement of the siblings where it is 1 determined that a sibling’s behavior or actions are detrimental 2 to other students’ academic achievement or substantially 3 interferes with other students’ abilities to participate in or 4 benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided 5 by the school. 6 d. A parent or guardian may appeal the assignment of 7 siblings made by a school principal under this subsection to 8 the board of directors of the school district. 9 -2- HF 598 (3) 88 kh/jh/md 2/ 2