Senate File 345 - Introduced SENATE FILE 345 BY TRONE GARRIOTT A BILL FOR An Act relating to compulsory education, including by 1 modifying provisions related to absenteeism and truancy 2 policies adopted by school districts and school attendance 3 requirements related to children who are undergoing military 4 entrance processing or who are engaged in military service. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 2566XS (3) 91 jda/jh
S.F. 345 Section 1. Section 299.1, subsection 3, Code 2025, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 3. a. The board of directors of a public school district 3 shall adopt a policy related to absenteeism and truancy. The 4 policy must satisfy all of the following requirements: 5 (1) The policy must allow for excused absences due to 6 illness, medical appointments, family emergencies, religious 7 observances, and preapproved educational opportunities. 8 (2) The policy must define what an unexcused absence is, the 9 criteria the board of directors will use to determine whether 10 an absence is unexcused, and the penalties associated with 11 unexcused absences. 12 (3) The policy must include general attendance 13 requirements. 14 (4) The policy must describe the interventions the board 15 of directors may use if a student becomes chronically absent, 16 which may include personalized support plans and how the board 17 of directors will implement such plans to support students and 18 families. 19 b. The policy may contain attendance requirements that are 20 more stringent than the attendance requirements established 21 under this chapter . 22 c. The board of directors of a public school district shall 23 review attendance data and make modifications to the policy 24 described in paragraph a when appropriate. 25 Sec. 2. Section 299.2, Code 2025, is amended by adding the 26 following new subsections: 27 NEW SUBSECTION . 7. Who is a military applicant undergoing 28 military entrance processing. 29 NEW SUBSECTION . 8. Who is engaged in military service. 30 Sec. 3. Section 299.6, subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph 31 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows: 32 Any person who violates the terms of an absenteeism 33 prevention plan entered into under section 299.12 , who is 34 referred for prosecution under section 299.12 and is convicted 35 -1- LSB 2566XS (3) 91 jda/jh 1/ 3
S.F. 345 of a violation of any of the provisions of sections 299.1 1 through 299.5 , who violates any of the provisions of sections 2 299.1 through 299.5 , or who refuses to participate in a school 3 engagement meeting under section 299.12 , commits a public 4 offense. 5 Sec. 4. REPEAL. Sections 299.1C, 299.12, and 299.13, Code 6 2025, are repealed. 7 EXPLANATION 8 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 9 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 10 This bill relates to compulsory education, including 11 by modifying provisions related to absenteeism and truancy 12 policies adopted by school districts and school attendance 13 requirements related to children who are undergoing military 14 entrance processing or who are engaged in military service. 15 Current law requires the board of directors of a public 16 school district to adopt a policy related to absenteeism and 17 truancy. The bill provides that this policy must allow for 18 excused absences due to illness, medical appointments, family 19 emergencies, religious observances, and preapproved educational 20 opportunities. The policy also must define what an unexcused 21 absence is, the criteria the board of directors will use to 22 determine whether an absence is unexcused, and the penalties 23 associated with unexcused absences. Additionally, the policy 24 must include general attendance requirements. Also, the policy 25 must describe the interventions the board of directors may use 26 if a student becomes chronically absent. The bill requires 27 the board of directors of a public school district to review 28 attendance data and make modifications to the policy described 29 when appropriate. 30 Current law requires the parent, guardian, or legal or 31 actual custodian of a child who is of compulsory attendance age 32 to cause the child to attend public school or an accredited 33 nonpublic school, or place the child under competent private 34 instruction or independent private instruction, during a school 35 -2- LSB 2566XS (3) 91 jda/jh 2/ 3
S.F. 345 year. Under current law, this requirement does not apply to 1 any child who has completed the requirements for graduation in 2 an accredited school or has obtained a high school equivalency 3 diploma, who is excused for sufficient reason by any court 4 of record or judge, who is attending religious services or 5 receiving religious instructions, who is attending a private 6 college preparatory school, who has been excused under 7 Code section 299.22 (when deaf or hard-of-hearing and blind 8 children excused), or who is exempted under Code section 299.24 9 (religious groups exempted from school standards). The bill 10 adds additional exemptions for children who are undergoing 11 military entrance processing or who are engaged in military 12 service. 13 Current Code section 299.1C provides that the county 14 attorney of the county in which the public schools or 15 accredited nonpublic schools central administrative office 16 is located is to be responsible for the enforcement of Code 17 chapter 299 (compulsory education). Also, current Code section 18 299.12 requires notices to be sent to county attorneys and 19 either parents, guardians, or legal or actual custodians, if a 20 child is not an emancipated minor, or the child, if the child 21 is an emancipated minor, when a child becomes chronically 22 absent. Current Code section 299.12 also requires that if a 23 child is absent from school for at least 15 percent of the days 24 or hours in a grading period, a school official is required to 25 initiate a school engagement meeting with the child and, if the 26 child is not an emancipated minor, with the childs parent, 27 guardian, or legal or actual custodian. Additionally, current 28 Code section 299.13 establishes civil enforcement provisions 29 related to information that is shared under Code section 30 299.12. The bill repeals Code sections 299.12 and 299.13 and 31 makes conforming changes, including by repealing Code section 32 299.1C. 33 -3- LSB 2566XS (3) 91 jda/jh 3/ 3