Senate File 2435 was signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds on July 1, 2024 and has gone into effect for the 2024-2025 school year. The law redefined student absence in effort to combat chronic absenteeism.
Post-pandemic numbers of student absences have become fundamental issues for the Iowa legislature. At 26%, Iowa’s chronically absent average is lower than the national average of 30%. However, the national average itself has increased from 16% in pre-pandemic numbers. With more and more students missing school, legislatures began to wonder what can be done to keep students in school.
The bill consists of separate tiers to differentiate student absences. Tier one consists of a warning to encourage students to remain diligent in their attendance. Tier two begins when a student is absent for 5-10% of days. At this tier, the school will reach out to students and parents to find a solution to attendance absences.
After missing over 10% of school days, students are officially considered chronically absent and schools will schedule a formal meeting to address the situation.
Students absent from school for 20% of days or hours in the grading period and lack a reasonable exemption are defined as truant. With the removal of the distinction between excused and unexcused absences, it is much easier for students to cross into the truancy threshold.
Students who are aware they will be missing school days feel stressed and scared knowing that they inch towards being considered chronically absent. “I already miss four days for club soccer and now I know that if I’m sick, I’ll cross the first tier to get a note sent home. It’s stressful enough to balance missed school due to sports but now I have to worry about attendance changes as well,” expressed junior Avery Brown.
Students missing school are only granted strict exemptions under the policy. These include students who have completed graduation requirements or obtained a high school equivalent diploma, an excuse by court of record or judge, attendance of religious services, legitimate medical reasons, Individual Education Program conflicts or absence due to Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act.
Students who face mental health issues find themselves alienated from the absence policy. “Personally, I have had to miss days of school for my mental health, and with this policy, it would have made it worse. I believe that this could push students who struggle with their mental health too much to avoid attendance repercussions when they might need those days to bounce back,” said junior Bridgette Dotson.
For PV students, the tier threshold is based on the number of days missed with only school-related activities as exemptions. If a student reaches five absences, a letter will be sent home. At nine absences, the student is chronically absent. Once 13 absences are reached, a student engagement meeting will be set. At 18 days, they are officially considered truant.
To limit the number of students crossing the chronic and truant lines, PV administration moved forward with preventative measures to implement the policy guidelines. “Our goal at Pleasant Valley is to ensure that every student is reaching their potential. If a student is struggling, they have a great support team here and we will help,” explained Assistant Principal Jason Jones.
While Senate File 2435 may set out to reduce the number of chronically absent students, its blurred policy lines leave many students afraid for repercussions in the coming years.
