Chronic absenteeism law helps, frustrates Iowa school districts

By Suzanne Behnke

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A new state law meant to crack down on chronically absent students went into effect at the start of the academic year.

It’s been a source of frustration for districts and families.

Waukee Superintendent Brad Buck says it’s an important effort, but a tough one to put into place. It took more hours than anticipated.

“When the Legislature ran this, they said, ‘You’ve already got plenty of money to do this.’ It has turned into a bit of an unfunded mandate locally and not just in Waukee,” Buck said.

Joshua Brown, president of the Iowa State Education Association, has heard from administrators across Iowa. He said the law is an example of government overreach.

“The amount of time being dedicated to trying to figure out how to comply with the law has been frustrating with lots of administrators,” he said.

Keeping kids in school is important, Brown said, but it should be left up to individual school districts.

“This is just making us a statewide one-size-fits-all solution, which just isn’t working,” he said.

The Iowa Department of Education did not provide a request for comment on the law that took effect July 1. The DOE’s website offers details on how the new law works, including that local officials determine what is considered a religious service or legitimate medical reasons. All districts are required to have a policy that addresses chronic absenteeism.

Here’s how the new rules work:

– A student who misses more than 10% of a grading period, such as a quarter or term, is considered “chronically absent.” A notice is sent to the county attorney and a notice by certified mail is sent to a parent or guardian. – If a student misses more than 15% of a grading period, a school engagement meeting and plan to prevent absenteeism must be worked out with the school and family. – If a student is absent 20% of a grading period, they are considered truant and charges can result. – So far, central Iowa county attorneys are working with districts on implementing the new law. Polk County had charges in nine cases as of Nov. 19. In Dallas County, there have been no charges filed.

In Polk County, more than 3,000 cases have been referred to the county attorney’s office since the school year began, said Lynn Hicks, the office’s spokesperson.

Waukee has already made some changes to its attendance policies, still in line with state law.

Originally, college visits were not considered an exempted absence. They are now, and it’s more inclusive, said Buck.

“It could be if you’re investigating something with the military, if you’re investigating a trade school, if you’re doing anything to investigate your options beyond your high school experience, we’re allowing that to be exempted,” he said.

Funerals and religious events will also be considered excused absences.

KCCI Investigates crunched the numbers at other area schools. Here are just a few:

– Dallas Center-Grimes saw a small improvement in their first quarter compared to 2023 with 3.4% of 3,700 students were absent in the first quarter, compared to 3.9% in 2023’s first quarter. – In Urbandale, less than 6% of 4,300 students were absent in the first quarter, which is comparable to the previous school year’s first quarter. – Des Moines Public Schools is seeing an improvement in attendance. It’s up 4% compared to the last several years.

The Polk County Attorney’s Office aims to address the root cause of what is preventing a student from making it to school, Hicks said.

“The way that we prosecute these cases and the way that we work with truancy court is that everybody works together,” he said. “The goal is to look at the problems: How do we address the absenteeism? What do we do to remove some of those barriers?”

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