Bill Text: IA HF2264 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced

Iowa House Bill 2264 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: A bill for an act concerning varsity athletics eligibility of students in open enrollment subjected to harassment or bullying and including effective date provisions. Effective 4-7-16.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2016-04-07 - Signed by Governor. H.J. 625. [HF2264 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2015-HF2264-Introduced.html

House File 2264 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

                                 (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2101)

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act concerning varsity athletics eligibility of students in
  2    open enrollment subjected to harassment or bullying.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 282.18, subsection 11, Code 2016, is
  1  2 amended to read as follows:
  1  3    11.  A pupil who participates in open enrollment for purposes
  1  4 of attending a grade in grades nine through twelve in a school
  1  5 district other than the district of residence is ineligible to
  1  6 participate in varsity interscholastic athletic contests and
  1  7 athletic competitions during the pupil's first ninety school
  1  8 days of enrollment in the district except that the pupil may
  1  9 participate immediately in a varsity interscholastic sport if
  1 10 the pupil is entering grade nine for the first time and did
  1 11 not participate in an interscholastic athletic competition for
  1 12 another school or school district during the summer immediately
  1 13 following eighth grade, if the district of residence and the
  1 14 other school district jointly participate in the sport, if the
  1 15 sport in which the pupil wishes to participate is not offered
  1 16 in the district of residence, if the pupil chooses to use open
  1 17 enrollment to attend school in another school district because
  1 18 the district in which the student previously attended school
  1 19 was dissolved and merged with one or more contiguous school
  1 20 districts under section 256.11, subsection 12, if the pupil
  1 21 participates in open enrollment because the pupil's district
  1 22 of residence has entered into a whole grade sharing agreement
  1 23 with another district for the pupil's grade, or if the parent
  1 24 or guardian of the pupil participating in open enrollment is
  1 25 an active member of the armed forces and resides in permanent
  1 26 housing on government property provided by a branch of the
  1 27 armed services, or if the district of residence determines
  1 28 that the pupil was previously subject to a founded incident
  1 29 of harassment or bullying as defined in section 280.28 while
  1 30 attending school in the district of residence. A pupil who
  1 31 has paid tuition and attended school, or has attended school
  1 32 pursuant to a mutual agreement between the two districts,
  1 33 in a district other than the pupil's district of residence
  1 34 for at least one school year is also eligible to participate
  1 35 immediately in interscholastic athletic contests and athletic
  2  1 competitions under this section, but only as a member of a team
  2  2 from the district that pupil had attended. For purposes of
  2  3 this subsection, "school days of enrollment" does not include
  2  4 enrollment in summer school. For purposes of this subsection,
  2  5 "varsity" means the same as defined in section 256.46.
  2  6                           EXPLANATION
  2  7 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  2  8 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  2  9    Current law provides that a high school student who
  2 10 participates in open enrollment in a school district other
  2 11 than the student's district of residence is ineligible to
  2 12 participate in varsity interscholastic athletic contests and
  2 13 athletic competitions during the student's first 90 school
  2 14 days of enrollment in the district. However, a student may
  2 15 participate immediately under various exceptions to that
  2 16 requirement.
  2 17    This bill adds an additional exception if a student's
  2 18 district of residence determines that the student was
  2 19 previously subject to a founded incident of harassment or
  2 20 bullying while attending school in the district of residence.
  2 21 The bill permits such students to participate in varsity
  2 22 interscholastic athletic contests and athletic competitions
  2 23 immediately upon open enrollment.
  2 24    Under Code section 280.28, subsection 2, "harassment" and
  2 25 "bullying" shall be construed to mean any electronic, written,
  2 26 verbal, or physical act or conduct toward a student which is
  2 27 based on any actual or perceived trait or characteristic of
  2 28 the student and which creates an objectively hostile school
  2 29 environment that meets one or more of certain conditions.
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