House File 13 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  JORGENSEN, STANERSON,
                                     KOESTER, SHEETS, R.
                                     TAYLOR, WINCKLER,
                                     STECKMAN, OURTH, HALL,
                                     LANDON, FORRISTALL,
                                     RUFF, and HIGHFILL

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act eliminating the school start date limitation and related
  2    waiver and penalty provisions.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    TLSB 1542YH (2) 86
    kh/rj

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 279.10, subsection 1, Code 2015, is
  1  2 amended to read as follows:
  1  3    1.  The school year for each school district and accredited
  1  4 nonpublic school shall begin on July 1 and each regularly
  1  5 established elementary and secondary school shall begin no
  1  6 sooner than a day during the calendar week in which the first
  1  7 day of September falls but no later than the first Monday in
  1  8 December. However, if the first day of September falls on a
  1  9 Sunday, school may begin on a day during the calendar week
  1 10 which immediately precedes the first day of September. The
  1 11 school calendar shall include not less than one hundred eighty
  1 12 days, except as provided in subsection 3, or one thousand
  1 13 eighty hours of instruction during the calendar year. The
  1 14 board of directors of a school district and the authorities in
  1 15 charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall determine the
  1 16 school start date for the school calendar and shall set the
  1 17 number of days or hours of required attendance for the school
  1 18 year as provided in section 299.1, subsection 2, but the board
  1 19 of directors of a school district shall hold a public hearing
  1 20 on any proposed school calendar prior to adopting the school
  1 21 calendar. If the board of directors of a district or the
  1 22 authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school extends
  1 23 the school calendar because inclement weather caused the school
  1 24 district or accredited nonpublic school to temporarily close
  1 25 during the regular school calendar, the school district or
  1 26 accredited nonpublic school may excuse a graduating senior
  1 27 who has met district or school requirements for graduation
  1 28 from attendance during the extended school calendar. A school
  1 29 corporation may begin employment of personnel for in=service
  1 30 training and development purposes before the date to begin
  1 31 elementary and secondary school.
  1 32    Sec. 2.  Section 279.10, subsection 4, Code 2015, is amended
  1 33 by striking the subsection.
  1 34    Sec. 3.  REPEAL.  Section 257.17, Code 2015, is repealed.
  1 35                           EXPLANATION
  2  1 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  2  2 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  2  3    This bill eliminates language prohibiting an early school
  2  4 start date for a school calendar, and instead authorizes
  2  5 school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to determine
  2  6 the school start dates for their school calendars.  The bill
  2  7 also eliminates a provision that authorizes the department
  2  8 of education to grant waivers to allow school districts and
  2  9 accredited nonpublic schools to commence classes prior to
  2 10 the earliest starting date, and repeals a provision that
  2 11 establishes an aid reduction penalty for early school starts by
  2 12 school districts.
       LSB 1542YH (2) 86
       kh/rj