(ABC 6 News) — On Friday, Superintendent Pat Hamilton with Mason City Schools spoke with Jeremy Ledford on ABC 6 News Good Morning.

Supt. Hamilton joined Mason City Schools in 2022. An Iowa-native, he has spent over two decades in education, with titles held at both Algona Schools and the Spencer School District.

With Mason City Schools set to start classes Monday, August 26, Supt. Hamilton spoke to us about the preparation work underway ahead of the school year.

He also spoke about Iowa’s new 2024 law surrounding attendance and chronic absenteeism. The law outlines progressive steps to be taken based on how many days a student has missed per quarter, in the case of Mason City Schools, and the most severe cases include rules about the school, parent/guardians and student meeting with the county attorney.

Furthermore, Supt. Hamilton spoke to the lingering impacts COVID-19 has on students who are still in school and missed at least several months of in-person learning during 2020 and 2021.

Hamilton concludes with his message to Mason City Schools ahead of the first day of classes.

“We’re excited to get everybody back to school,” said Supt. Hamilton.

“We’re just happy that everybody’s going to be back starting next week, and we look forward to having a great year at Mason City schools, Supt. Hamilton concluded.

For a list of Minnesota schools start dates, click here.

For a list of Iowa schools start dates, click here.

ABC Six News Good Morning will continue our Assignment Education: Back to School coverage Monday, August 26 as Mason City Schools begin, along with several districts in southeast Minnesota.