Decorah Schools navigating state truancy law as board approves new policy

Decorah High School Principal Brad Hurst told the school board Monday he and his staff recently sent out a number of the certified letters as is now required by the state. (Photo by Seth Boyes)

The Decorah Community School District has officially adopted a new policy in response to state efforts aimed at addressing chronic student absences — but staff with Decorah Schools admit they’re still learning how to implement the changes fairly and accurately. 

The new law — Senate File 2435 — was signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in early May after it passed through both the Iowa House and Senate on April 18 — with lawmakers voting 32-13 in the Senate and 52-43 in the House. Decorah School Board President Cindy Goodner said the legislation was passed relatively quickly, and Decorah Superintendent Tim Cronin indicated Iowa schools had little if any input while lawmakers drafted the bill. Goodner noted Monday the law does not apply to private schools in Iowa.

“It’s well-intended,” Cronin said of the legislation. “Chronic absenteeism is a challenge. It’s not a made up problem. We struggled coming out of the pandemic — I think a lot of people have seen that in their workforce — but there’s just a lot to unpack here, and it’s difficult to do it.”

The new state law requires districts to identify students who have missed 10 percent of a given grading period. If a student reaches that 10 percent mark, the district is then required to report the absences to the Winneshiek County Attorney’s office, and families are to be notified of the issue via certified mail. The cost of sending those letters falls to the school district, according to Goodner, and Cronin said some school districts, such as the Dubuque Community School District, expect that cost to be around $30,000 a year if attendance numbers remain steady.

For Decorah High School, which currently operates on a 39-day quarter system, students could cross the 10 percent threshold after missing approximately four days. Decorah High School Principal Brad Hurst told the school board Monday he and his staff recently sent out a number of the certified letters as is now required by the state. 

Medical absences, religious events and participation in school-sanctioned tournaments can be considered exempt under the state law, but senior students visiting colleges are not, according to school officials. Cronin indicated school administrators previously met with a member of the Winneshiek County Attorney’s Office to discuss potential scenarios under the new law. The superintendent said school administrators have also been discussing how to apply the policy consistently in each building. Hurst said the staff has also received some guidance on properly coding student absences to avoid unduly designating a student as chronically absent. 

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“You’re trying to do right by families and be fair with all these things, so you’ve got to parse it out,” Hurst said. “You can’t just look at the number, because the number’s not the number — you have to look at what kind of absences were these absences and when did they occur? It’s a lot more difficult, and we’re trying to do it the right way and support families.”

Should a student be absent for 15 percent of a grading period, the new state law requires the school district to create an action plan to prevent further absences and meet with the student and family on a regular basis — the county attorney has the ability to take further action if the situation is not resolved. Cronin said on Monday such meetings with district families should take a common sense approach, and he noted the district could express in its certified letters that staff understands the reasons for certain absences, such as multiple college visits during a single grading period. 

“I think there’s a fine line between stressing the importance of coming to school every day and making sure that we’re listening to the reasons that people are absent and making whatever accommodations are feasible in that,” Cronin said. 

The Decorah School Board held its first reading of the new policy during its Sept. 9 meeting. Monday’s second reading and subsequent vote finalized the policy change. 

Goodner said she is grateful for the communication taking place among the district’s staff, and she encouraged the public to respectfully express their thoughts on the new state law to Iowa lawmakers.

“I want the message to families in the district to be loud and clear that this is not a policy that we crafted,” Goodner said. “We’re doing our best, and I encourage families, when you’re in touch with your school admin team, they’re working so hard. Please approach them with respect and patience. They’re carrying out the law.”

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