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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate File 2351 restricts open enrollment for chronically absent students unless the receiving district approves
Last action · February 26, 2026: Read first time, referred to Education. H.J. 440 .
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 2351 prevents students who are chronically absent, participating in s, or bound by s from transferring school districts through , unless the receiving district explicitly approves the transfer.
The measure determines whether students facing attendance interventions can switch school districts, altering transfer rights for families involved in s.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
pupils
Students who are chronically absent or participating in attendance prevention plans face restrictions on their ability to transfer school districts through open enrollment.
receiving districts
Receiving school districts gain the authority to review and approve or deny open enrollment transfer requests for students currently subject to absenteeism interventions.
Key Facts
- Students who are chronically absent, participating in school engagement meetings, or party to an absenteeism prevention plan are generally prohibited from open enrollment transfers.
- A student with attendance issues may still transfer if the receiving school district explicitly approves the transfer request.
- The legislation applies to open enrollment applications and notifications submitted on or after the effective date of the Act.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
11 actions- Feb 26, 2026HouseIntroducedRead first time, referred to Education. H.J. 440 .
- Feb 26, 2026HouseMessage from Senate. H.J. 439 .
- Feb 26, 2026SenateImmediate message. S.J. 417 .
- Feb 26, 2026SenateFloorPassed Senate , yeas 44, nays 0. S.J. 415 .
- Feb 17, 2026SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2351 . S.J. 306 .
- Feb 17, 2026SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 306 .
Show 5 earlier actions
- Feb 17, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 301 .
- Feb 11, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
- Feb 11, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/11/2026 12:30PM Room G15.
- Feb 3, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Evans, Shipley, and Trone Garriott. S.J. 189 .
- Jan 27, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education. S.J. 143 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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