Recently updates were made to the statewide attendance standards governing K-12 students. In accordance with those updates, the attendance policies related to unexcused absences for the I-35 CSD are being updated as well. These changes come as a result of Senate file 2435 which addressed several education issues, including absences and chronic absenteeism.
Attendance standards are determined by the State of Iowa and they establish what is considered an absence and which absences are unexcused as determined by the state or by the local school district. You can view a summary of the absence portion of Senate file 2435 by clicking on the link which was originally published by the Iowa Department of Education. We've also pulled out key pieces of information for the most recent issue of Informed, published Aug. 29 to our social media accounts.
Goals
The goals of an attendance policy are to set the expectation that children are in school on a regular schedule in an effort to reduce chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism for I-35 CSD is defined as missing more than 8 days of school in a semester. The state legislature requires the school districts across the state to define chronic absenteeism, adopt a policy to address attendance, and implement a plan to assist families of students who are chronically absent.
Chronic Absenteeism By the Numbers
8 days missed per semester
This will cause a letter to be sent home.
12 days missed per semester
This will cause a letter to be sent home, a truancy meeting to be scheduled with administration and an attendance contract enacted.
17 days missed per semester
This will cause the school to refer the situation to the county attorney for further review.
Policy Changes
We are updating our policies to comply with the new legislation and to help provide the structure needed so our students can succeed at school. The policies are not final until they've been read at three board meetings (regular or special session). These changes had their first public reading at the August board meeting (Aug. 26, 2024). Below is a list of absences that are not excused. Please note the differences from prior years.
State-mandated Unexcused Absences Include:
Watching classmates in state athletic competition, Show Choir, art show
Out of School Suspension (OSS)
Parent excused but without a reason given
Planned family vacations
Funerals
Being "out of town"
Car troubles or accident
Helping family (ex: planting, harvesting, working in a family business)
College visit that is non-school directed/supervised
Arriving to school, then skipping classes
Absent without parent contact
Interstate 35 (local-mandated) Unexcused Absences Include:
Parent excused, citing “Family Reasons”
Parent excused with other reasons
Now that we've covered unexcused absences, here's a list of excused absences. In other words, they do not count towards the allowable absences in a semester.
State-mandated Excused Absences Include:
Completed requirements for graduation or received GED
Sufficient reason by court of record or judge
Religious service or education
Court-directed activity or Jury Duty
IEP that restricts attendance
Section 504 plan that restricts attendance
Interstate 35 (local-mandated) Excused Absences Include:
Planned medical treatment with a doctor’s note
Unplanned medical treatment with a doctor's note
Illness confirmed by school nurse that meets criteria to be sent home
Medical appointments with a doctor's note
Home ill with a doctor's note
Parent or sibling medical emergency with a doctor's note
Please note, there are some situations where your child may not be in school and also will not be considered absent. This includes items like school directed activities (ex: field trips or conventions), participating at a state competition and more. A complete list is in the PDF linked above.
For all absences, excused or not, it is imperative that contact be made with the appropriate school office if your child will be absent. Otherwise, we will attempt to make contact with families to ensure there wasn’t an emergency of some kind on the way to school. For Preschool through 6th grade, contact the elementary office at 641-765-4901 or tburkhead@i-35.k12.ia.us. For grades 7th-12th, contact the secondary office at 641-765-4818 or tbortell@i-35.k12.ia.us.
We are here to help!
The biggest thing we want the community to know is that we are here to help. We know there are many reasons why a child may miss school but if you need assistance, please contact your building office. We want your child to be in school so they can continue to grow academically, socially and beyond.