Education

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 19, 2026

SF 2181: A bill for an act requiring the department of education to develop and administer a pilot program that requires certain specified school districts to establish attendance centers for students requiring special education and students with behavioral issues.

SF 2181 requires Iowa's Department of Education to create a pilot program where one rural school district (defined by specific 2020 census population thresholds) and one urban school district (with at least 7,000 students) must establish attendance centers for students needing special education or facing behavioral challenges that interfere with learning. The bill mandates these districts to provide tailored educational services, report annually on student participation, academic performance, and program feedback, and redirect 48% of their special education funds toward the pilot. The program, set to expire July 1, 2031, will be monitored by the Department of Education and reported to the legislature each year. This directly affects eligible students in the designated districts and their schools.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates tailored services for special education and behavioral needs students, enhancing educational access and support through mandated pilot program.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Special Education

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 23, 2026

HF 2451: A bill for an act relating to student instructional technology standards, including elementary school digital instruction limits, technology use policies, and governance of one-to-one digital device programs.

HF 2451 sets a 60-minute daily limit on digital instruction for Iowa students in kindergarten through fifth grade, excluding uses like IEP-required technology, teacher demonstrations, or state assessments. It requires school districts to adopt written technology use policies for these grades, including daily limits, a list of digital platforms, parent opt-out rights, and a statement that technology should support foundational learning. The bill also mandates a technology adoption checklist for one-to-one device programs, covering instructional purpose, age appropriateness, content filtering, and student data practices. These policies and checklists must be published online for public access. The bill applies to all school districts, charter schools, and innovation school zones in Iowa.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts digital instruction time to 60 minutes daily in K-5 and mandates policies limiting tech use, aligning with OPPOSE indicators of restricting educational technology access.85% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyImposes 60-minute daily digital instruction limit for K-5, mandates restrictions on tech use, and requires opt-out policies, directly limiting technology integration in schools.92% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Special Education Teachers Data Privacy Online Safety

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 12, 2026

SF 2176: A bill for an act relating to the district-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program.

This bill requires students (or their parents/guardians if the student is a minor) to reimburse school districts if they fail a community college course taken through the district-to-community college concurrent enrollment program. Specifically, if a student fails a class offered by a community college or taught by a community college instructor, the school district can request payment equal to the amount it paid the college for that student's participation. The reimbursement applies only to the district's direct costs for that specific course, not to the student's regular tuition or fees. This policy directly affects high school students in Iowa's concurrent enrollment programs who fail a college-level course.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRequires student reimbursement for failed community college courses, creating financial barriers that limit program access and participation in concurrent enrollment.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education K-12 Education

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 19, 2026

SF 2227: A bill for an act relating to tuition charged to resident undergraduate students enrolled at regents institutions.

SF 2227 requires Iowa's public universities to freeze tuition for resident undergraduate students in their first academic year (starting in 2027) for up to three consecutive subsequent years. This applies to students who begin their first year of enrollment at a regents institution in 2027 or later. The bill does not apply to students who transfer credits allowing them to graduate in less than four years, and the freeze only covers the first three years after initial enrollment. It directly affects new resident undergraduate students at Iowa's public universities beginning in 2027 or later.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationFreezes tuition for first-year residents at public universities, reducing costs and improving affordability/access to higher education.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education

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passed · Iowa · House Mar 26, 2026

HF 2546: A bill for an act modifying the duties of the department of education related to electronic systems, and including effective date provisions.

HF 2546 requires Iowa's Department of Education to create a statewide data collection system for schools. The system must standardize electronic data sharing between school districts, nonpublic schools, and area education agencies, ensuring student data privacy while enabling seamless transfer of records like enrollment, assessments, and special education information. It also mandates modernizing the Department's electronic systems, including a portal by 2027 for schools to validate data, check enrollments, and access a live data dictionary. This bill directly affects all Iowa school districts, nonpublic schools, area education agencies, and the Department of Education by changing how they handle and share student data. The law specifies the system must collect only necessary data, maintain data ownership with schools, and avoid requiring purchase of specific software.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires statewide data system for standardized school data sharing, enhancing record transfer and privacy, supporting educational administration efficiency.85% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates student data privacy protections in statewide electronic systems, directly aligning with tech privacy safeguards per bill summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Special Education Data Privacy

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 3, 2026

SSB 3110: A bill for an act relating to statewide voluntary preschool program students whose household income is below a certain amount, minimum hours required to be offered, and funding calculations.

This bill modifies Iowa's statewide voluntary preschool program (SVPP) by setting income-based minimum instructional hours. For children in households earning below 185% of the federal poverty level, school districts must offer 15 hours per week in 2026-2027 and 20 hours per week starting in 2027-2028, while other children receive 10 hours. Families of eligible low-income children can choose between 10 hours or the higher requirement. The bill also adjusts school district funding calculations: districts offering extended hours for low-income students receive funding based on 75% of those children’s enrollment (2026-2027) or 100% (2027+), plus 50% of other eligible students.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationIncreases mandatory preschool hours for low-income children (15→20 hrs) and adjusts school funding to expand access, directly advancing educational access for vulnerable students.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Early Childhood

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 19, 2026

SF 2300: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to the protected speech and expression rights of students enrolled in school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools and the duties of the department of education, and providing civil penalties.

SF 2300 requires Iowa public school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to comply with federal religious expression standards. It mandates annual distribution of U.S. Department of Education guidance on constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression to all school staff, online publication of this guidance, and development of professional development programs for educators. Schools must adopt model policies ensuring compliance and certify annual adherence to the state education department. Non-compliant schools face civil penalties of at least $5,000 per violation, with affected students or clubs able to pursue legal action for discrimination against religious, political, or ideological speech.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates protection of students' religious expression rights in schools, aligning with topic's rights focus and constitutionally protected speech.85% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 17, 2026

HSB 719: A bill for an act establishing the school health-related emergency response plan competitive grant program within the department of education, making appropriations, and including applicability provisions.

HSB 719 establishes a competitive grant program within Iowa's Department of Education to help schools develop cardiac emergency response plans. It requires participating schools (including public districts, nonpublic schools, and charters) to implement specific safety measures like placing AEDs accessible within three minutes, training staff in CPR/AED use, and conducting annual emergency drills. The grants, funded through a new state treasury account, offset costs for creating these plans but must supplement, not replace, existing school funding. The program applies to all schools starting with the 2027-2028 school year.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill creates state-funded grants for schools to implement cardiac emergency response plans, including AEDs and staff training, directly enhancing school safety infrastructure and student protection within education.92% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding School Safety Student Health

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 19, 2026

SF 2336: A bill for an act requiring annual reports on and the prohibition of antisemitism in community colleges, regents institutions, and public school districts.

SF 2336 requires Iowa's community colleges, state-regents institutions (like universities), and public school districts to annually report antisemitism incidents and investigations to state education boards by September 1 each year. It mandates these institutions to prohibit antisemitism in the same manner as other discrimination under federal and state law, and to update student and staff conduct codes to explicitly ban antisemitic harassment or discrimination against Jewish people. The bill also requires the state board of regents to annually review institutional policies on antisemitism and include findings in their report. These requirements apply directly to all covered educational institutions across Iowa.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires educational institutions to prohibit antisemitism and update conduct codes, strengthening safe learning environments and protecting Jewish students/staff in K-12 and higher education.95% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 4, 2026

HF 2271: A bill for an act modifying provisions related to world language instruction.

HF 2271 modifies Iowa's world language instruction requirements for grades 9-12 in public school districts, nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools. It prohibits educators from altering languages that use grammatical gender (like Spanish or French) to incorporate gender-neutral terms. The bill specifically requires that instruction maintain the language's original grammatical structure, including gendered nouns and pronouns. This policy change directly affects how world language courses are taught in participating schools across Iowa.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationProhibits gender-neutral language in world language curricula, restricting academic flexibility and mandating traditional grammatical structures in instruction.95% confidence

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