Schools see better student attendance under new Iowa law

Eastern Iowa schools are seeing less chronic absenteeism five months after the implementation of a new state law that aims to improve student attendance.

Chris Gibson, director of student services for the Cedar Rapids Community School District, said the law has helped the district be “very clean and clear with our expectations for families.”

“It’s forced us to really put a good-faith effort to do everything we can to get students in school, so they can learn,” Gibson said.

The new Iowa law, Senate File 2435, defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent of days in a grading period. It requires school districts to adopt a policy related to absenteeism and truancy. The law also applies to accredited non-public schools.

During the 2023-24 school year, almost 36 percent of students in the Cedar Rapids district were chronically absent. That number is at 11 percent so far this school year, Gibson said.

Almost 22 percent of Iowa students across the state were chronically absent during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Iowa School Performance Profile.

If a student misses 10 percent or more days in a grading period, the school sends a certified letter to the student’s parent or guardian and notifies the county attorney. No legal action will be taken at this time.

The Cedar Rapids district has sent 1,667 letters to families so far this school year who have missed 10 percent or more days in the first semester. That equates to eight days, or about 56 hours of instructional time missed.

Each certified letter costs the district $9.64 to send, which means the district has spent slightly more than $16,000 so far this school year on letters about students missing school.

The letters are delivered to the family’s home address and a signature must be obtained upon delivery. The U.S. Postal Service will attempt to deliver the letter three times before it is returned to the Cedar Rapids district.

“We have received letters back,” Gibson said.

School officials also attempt to contact families through email and phone calls.

Cedar Rapids schools will change rule for excused sick days

Under the law, school districts can make their own determination on how to handle student absences due to illness. Currently, sick days in the Cedar Rapids district are only exempt if a doctor’s note is provided.

Gibson said that policy will change in the district’s second semester, which begins in January. The district will not require a doctor’s note for eight illness absences. After eight illness absences, families will have to provide a doctor’s note for an absence not to count toward chronic absenteeism if a child is out sick, Gibson said.

“You’re not going to take your child to the doctor for a fever. People feel like they have had to do that, and it’s a financial burden,” Gibson said.

Continued absenteeism triggers prevention plan

If a student reaches 15 percent absenteeism, the student and their family are required by law to attend a school engagement meeting with school officials. During this meeting, an absenteeism prevention plan will be created to prevent more absences.

There are 830 students in the Cedar Rapids district on absenteeism prevention plans after missing 84 hours or more of school, Gibson said.

The family and a school official will sign the plan, which identifies the causes of the student’s absences and the future responsibility of the family and school official related to the student’s attendance.

If an absenteeism prevention plan is created for a student, the school official will contact that student’s family at least once a week during the remainder of the school year to monitor the performance of the student and family under the plan.

Absenteeism prevention plans look different for each family. For younger students, it could be adding an alarm clock to their routine or giving them a sticker on the days they attend school. “Simple things like that sometimes help,” Gibson said.

If a student misses 20 percent or more days in a grading period or semester, as in years predating the new law, families will be referred to the county attorney who will decide what action to take.

There have been 14 students in the Cedar Rapids district referred to the county attorney as of Dec. 12, Gibson said.

In an interview with The Gazette in August, assistant Linn County Attorney Nina Sheller said if a student is absent from school for 20 percent of a grading period, it will result in a simple misdemeanor charge for the family.

The family then will get the opportunity to participate in the county’s Truancy Deferred Prosecution Program, started in 2019, which helps parents avoid being fined or going to jail for failing to get their children to school.

During the 2022-23 school year, there were 110 truancy cases in Linn County. Almost 80 percent of cases were dismissed due to success of the Truancy Deferred Prosecution Program.

“Our schools are working really hard to provide engaging, safe learning environments for our kids, so they feel safe coming to school and want to be here and learn,” Gibson said.

Chronic absenteeism grows as students age

Across school districts, the number of students chronically absent is lower in elementary school and tends to grow as kids get older, school officials say.

In the Cedar Rapids district, 32 percent of 12th-graders are chronically absent, compared to 13 percent of sixth-graders, Gibson said. “What happens is (chronic absenteeism) starts in single digits in kindergarten and progressively goes up,” she said.

There are a lot of factors that can contribute to older students attending school less, Gibson said. Older students might have more family responsibilities such as child care and work.

“There are so many family factors that happen, and yet we still have to have high expectations for kids to come to school,” Gibson said.

Chronic absenteeism in other Eastern Iowa schools

The College Community School District has sent out 173 letters to families whose students have been chronically absent this school year, costing the district about $1,300.

They are seeing almost 5 percent fewer students chronically absent this school year, compared to last year, College Community officials said. About 24 percent of students were chronically absent in the district during the 2023-24 school year.

So far this year, chronic absenteeism in the district is 14 percent.

“At Prairie, we’re doing many other things to try to encourage positive attendance, so I don’t think it’s the law in and of itself. The law has brought a heightened awareness that attendance is important,” said Laura Medberry, executive director of learning supports for the College Community district.

In the Iowa City Community School District, 13 percent of students have been chronically absent so far this school year. The district has sent 631 certified letters to families, costing about $3,495, district spokeswoman Kristin Pedersen said.

During the 2023-24 school year, the Iowa City district saw almost 20 percent of students chronically absent, according to the Iowa School Performance Profile.

The Linn-Mar Community School District also is seeing a slight improvement in student attendance. The district’s average daily attendance is more than 95 percent, said district spokeswoman Renee Nelson.

During the 2023-24 school year, the Linn-Mar district saw about 16.4 percent of students chronically absent, according to the Iowa School Performance Profile.

The Linn-Mar district has mailed about 100 letters to families with 10 percent or more absences so far this year.

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