East Union informs parents of new attendance standards

AFTON - East Union Middle School and High School Principal Jason Riley gave an informative meeting Thursday with parents and students about new federal attendance laws East Union will be following.

In the 2021-2022 school year, 25.6% of students across the state were considered chronically absent, about 125,750 students out of 491,977 according to the Iowa School Performance Profiles. This was the first full year following the COVID-19 pandemic where attendance data was collected.

Concerns from legislators about the rising numbers has led to Senate File 2435 Division VII: Chronic Absenteeism, which outlines new state-wide regulations regarding how schools handle attendance. These regulations are built on how many school days a student has unexcused absences. This new regulation mandates statewide attendance policies, which were previously up to individual district’s discretion.

Riley described these new policies as imposing “strict definitions” onto school districts, including East Union. On Tuesday, the district received guidance from the Department of Education in regards to how to handle these new policies, which Riley said further restricted exceptions.

“They’re reigning it in, and making it tighter than we thought,” he told parents.

The presentation outlined three phases of increasing number of absences students could fall below, focusing on the school schedule for the middle/high school. Absences are measured by semester, while the elementary measures absences by the full school year. This year, there are 74 days in the first semester for the middle/high school. An absence is declared when a student missed three class periods in a day.

In East Union’s case, the first phases starts after a student misses 7.5 days of the school semester, representing 10% of the semester, where a student will be declared chronically absent. A certified letter will be sent to the parents/guardians and the county attorney informing both parties.

At 11 days absent, or 15% of the semester, a required school engagement meeting between school officials, parents/guardians and student will be held with the creation of a “absenteeism prevention plan,” with the goal to outline why a student is continually missing class and help prevent further absences. This plan will last the whole school year, even if a student is only chronically absent in the first semester.

If parents/guardians refuse to attend the meeting, the county attorney can choose to initiate proceedings against them as a public offense. Regarding this likelihood, Riley dismissed it, saying when it comes to meeting with parents to improve attendance, it has “never happened.”

At 15 days absent, 20% of the semester, the student is labelled truant, where they are then referred to the county attorney. Potential consequences of this can lead to a student dropping classes and the county attorney pursing action toward a truant student.

Riley gave an overview of the five exceptions that would qualify a student for an excused absence on any given day. If a student has completed graduation requirements or received their G.E.D., they will be considered excused if absent. If a student is absent because of religious services, they will be considered excused as well.

Any student who is absent due to their participation of any legal proceedings, such as in the juvenile court system, will be excused by a court or judge.

Two health-related exceptions are also described. If a student has an active IEP or 504 plan, which relates to preexisting conditions and special needs students, they will be excused from all absences related to the plan. If a student is unable to attend school due to a legitimate medical reason, they will also be excused.

What constitutes a legitimate medical reason is at a health care professional’s discretion, leaving a student with a doctor’s note. Calling a student in sick will not be enough to consider them excused.

East Union predicted this would be the largest concern for the new policies, knowing the largest reason for absences is illness. However, due to the legislation, the district has no choice but to implement these new policies alongside other schools in Iowa.

Riley described a scenario where a student could see the school nurse and sent home as a way to determine a legitimate medical reason, which would still require students to attend school, potentially knowingly ill, in order to have their absence excused.

Questions from parents were concerned about access to medical professionals, especially for students frequently ill. One parent of a student who described their child as being “allergic to everything” was worried about driving to Des Moines in order to receive a doctor’s note from a specialist.

Riley shared his own frustrations with the new law, mentioning to parents how in conversations he’s sarcastically said the best way to complain is to “call your local legislators.”

“This is not our rules,” said Riley.

Parents were also given a document that outlines the new policies covered in the meeting. In the document, Riley states, “As I shared earlier, this can all seem intimidating. We will do our best to work with all our parents and students to be sure that we are meeting each of your needs.”

A second meeting will be held during East Union’s Back to School Night on Thursday, Aug. 22 in the auditorium at 7 p.m.

Additional questions or concerns can be shared with Jason Riley at (641) 347-8421 ext. 5155 or jriley@eastunionschools.org, or Valerie White at (641) 347-8421 ext. 5230 or vwhite@eastunionschools.org.