Iowa law tackles schools’ chronic absence problems

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — When a student misses over 10 percent of a quarter at school, they’re considered chronically absent. A new Iowa law looks to crack down on the issue.

“Our average daily attendance is above 95%, which is very good,” Sioux City Community School District Associate Superintendent Angela Bemus said. “But we have a chronic absenteeism problem, meaning we have a few amount of students missing a lot of days.”

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 26 percent, or about one in four, Iowa students were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year. This past session, Iowa lawmakers tackled the issue with a new bill.

“Missing 10 percent of the days in a semester at eight days a student would be considered chronically absent,” Bemus said. “Then that student will have to have a meeting with the principal and their parents and they will also have to send notice to the county attorney.”

School officials will then create a plan with the guardian and child to improve their attendance and have weekly contact with them. If the student continues to miss more school time, the police will get involved, which has always been the case.

“The county attorney’s office will then issue a warrant for the primary custodian or the primary parent, and that warrants for compulsory education or compulsory attendance,” Sioux City police sergeant Thomas Gill said. “Then that parent will be contacted by the police department and subject to being transported to the Woodbury County Jail.”

There are exceptions for students with severe chronic illnesses.

“That would not [include being sick], like needing a doctor’s note,” Bemus said. “That would be that I can’t long-term go to school. But even if you’re sick, like with the flu or something, those days are now going to count against those eight days.”

The Sioux City Community School District says they believe this new law will have a positive impact on chronic absence, but wants to emphasize to parents that they want the best for their children.

“It’s not ‘we’re trying to get you,’ it’s that we just want to let you know that this is the expectation,” Bemus said. “And we know that kids get really sick and we know that sometimes families have hardship that causes kids to miss school for an extended period of time. Still, we have to follow all of the laws in our board policy, but at the same time, you can do that and still have the empathy and the compassion and work with the family.”

The Sioux City Community School District kicks off their first day of school this Friday.

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