Iowa Code Title VII. Education and Cultural Affairs [Chs. 256-305B] § 280.25. Information sharing--interagency agreements

1. The board of directors of each public school and the authorities in charge of each accredited nonpublic school shall adopt a policy and the superintendent of each public school shall adopt rules which provide that the school district or school may share information contained within a student's permanent record pursuant to an interagency agreement with state and local agencies that are part of the juvenile justice system. These agencies include, but are not limited to, juvenile court services, the department of health and human services, and local law enforcement authorities. The disclosure of information shall be directly related to the juvenile justice system's ability to effectively serve, prior to adjudication, the student whose records are being released.

2. The purpose of the agreement shall be to reduce juvenile crime by promoting cooperation and collaboration and the sharing of appropriate information among the parties in a joint effort to improve school safety, reduce alcohol and illegal drug use, reduce truancy, reduce in-school and out-of-school suspensions, and to support alternatives to in-school and out-of-school suspensions and expulsions which provide structured and well-supervised educational programs supplemented by coordinated and appropriate services designed to correct behaviors that lead to truancy, suspension, and expulsions and to support students in successfully completing their education.

3. Information shared under the agreement shall be used solely for determining the programs and services appropriate to the needs of the juvenile or the juvenile's family, or coordinating the delivery of programs and services to the juvenile or the juvenile's family.

4. Information shared by the school district or school under the agreement is not admissible in any court proceedings which take place prior to a disposition hearing, unless written consent is obtained from a student's parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian.

5. Information shared by another party to the agreement with a school district or school pursuant to an interagency agreement shall not be used as a basis for a school disciplinary action against a student.

6. The interagency agreement shall provide, and each signatory agency to the agreement shall certify in the agreement, that confidential information shared among the parties to the agreement shall remain confidential and shall not be shared with any other person, school, school district, or agency, unless otherwise provided by law.

7. Juvenile court social records may be disclosed in accordance with section 232.147, subsection 9.

8. A school or school district entering into an interagency agreement under this section shall adopt a policy implementing the provisions of the interagency agreement. The policy shall include, but not be limited to, the provisions of the interagency agreement and the procedures to be used by the school or school district to share information from the student's permanent record with participating agencies. The policy shall be published in the student handbook.