88th General Assembly · Iowa Funnel one-pager · Thursday, November 12, 2026

SF 2067: Providing for excused absences from school for student mental health needs

Died when the session ended · The 2020 session adjourned on June 14, 2020, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died.

What it does

This bill requires school boards and authorities in charge of accredited nonpublic schools to adopt a policy permitting a student to take an excused absence from school for reasons pertaining to the student’s mental health needs. The policy shall allow at least three such absences per school year and shall not require that a student provide documentation concerning the student’s mental health needs in order to take such an absence. The policy shall include a protocol for referring a student taking such an absence to a school counselor, school nurse, or other appropriate personnel, services, or resources available through the school district or nonpublic school or through the community.

Cost

No fiscal note

Senate subcommittee · named January 23, 2020

Sen. Amy Sinclair (R) · amy.sinclair@legis.iowa.gov
Sen. Jerry Behn (R)
Sen. Claire Celsi (D)

Lobbying · 5 for, 0 against

For: Common Good Iowa; IA Mental Health Planning Council; Iowa Conference of United Methodist Church; Iowa Mental Health Advocacy; National Alliance on Mental Illness - Iowa

In plain words

January 22, 2020Filed in the Senate and sent to the Education committee
January 23, 2020Senate subcommittee named: Sinclair, Behn and Celsi