Eastern Iowa parents react to new legislation changing school attendance

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – This latest school semester comes with new rules for attendance, and parents across eastern Iowa have concerns.

On May 9, 2024, Governor Reynolds signed a law that lays out what districts must do when students miss a certain number of school days. That law went into effect July 1, 2024.

According to the new law:

• If a student misses 10% of a semester (around 8 school days), they become chronically absent. Once they are chronically absent, a school official must notify the county attorney and the child’s parent or guardian by certified mail.
• If a student misses 15% of a semester, a school official must investigate the cause and initiate a school engagement meeting.
• If a student misses 20% of a semester, they are considered truant. Truancy can eventually result in a student’s guardian being prosecuted.

KCRG put out a call on social media, asking for parents to share their perspectives. Close to 20 parents came forward, including Justina Yoder of West Liberty, Jennifer Facion of Cedar Rapids, and Arianna Neveu of Hiawatha.

“I kind of go back and forth between being a little annoyed by the law to be honest… and a little bit nervous,” said Facion.

The other two women echoed Facion. “I’m a little nervous,” said Yoder.

These moms are feeling this way because they all said, at least for their kids, it’s pretty likely they’ll miss a good amount of school.

KCRG asked Yoder if she thought her 3rd grader with medical issues would miss at least 10 days of school during the fall semester.

“Easily,” she said. “Easily. I don’t think we’ve had a year where we haven’t missed that much.”

The state’s policy does provide for six exemptions:

• Completed requirements for graduation or obtained a high school equivalency diploma.
• Excused for sufficient reason by any court of record or judge.
• Attending religious services or receiving religious instructions.
• Unable to attend school due to legitimate medical reason(s).
• Individualized Education Program (IEP) that affects attendance.
• Section 504 plan under the Federal Rehabilitation Act that affects attendance.

The parents who spoke to KCRG on Tuesday said, when it comes to illness, “legitimate,” doesn’t mean they’re always going to have a doctor’s note.

“Let’s just say she has a fever….I’m not going to spend the money to go to the doctor because she had a fever for 24 hours,” said Neveu.

These parents said that kids get sick, sometimes for days at a time. Also, life happens.

“We tend to take vacation during the school year because that’s when my husband can take time off,” said Yoder.

“My girls have had some behavior issues in the past and depending on how they do it, if my one daughter decides to skip class or gets upset and walks out of class, you know, I don’t know how that will go,” said Facion.

Neveu believes the new legislation could impact not only her family, but the state’s education system as a whole.

“I think to be honest, it is, like I said—it’s targeting public schools. But I think it’s also pushing more towards private schools.”

These moms said there’s nothing to be done except hope for no major illnesses or big surprises—and push for change in the future.

“Laws can be changed if enough people talk to the people who make the decisions,” said Facion.

KCRG reached out to the Governor’s office to see if there was a response to these parents’ critiques. We did not receive a statement.

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