Education (Curriculum)

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 6, 2025

HSB 142: A bill for an act prohibiting community colleges offering a curriculum in barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences if a licensed school of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences operates in the same merged area.

This bill prohibits Iowa community colleges from offering barbering and cosmetology programs if a state-licensed private school already operates in the same "merged area." It specifically blocks the state education director from approving such programs for community colleges when a licensed school of barbering/cosmetology exists in the area. The law requires community colleges to continue existing programs for current students enrolled before the bill's effective date until they complete or leave the program. The policy aims to prevent duplication of services with licensed private institutions.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts community college curriculum options for barbering/cosmetology programs where private schools operate, limiting educational program availability.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Jan 28, 2025

SF 113: A bill for an act relating to children and students, including by modifying provisions related to a parent’s or guardian’s rights to make decisions affecting the parent’s or guardian’s child, the educational program and human growth and development curriculum provided to students enrolled in school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools, student health screenings, school district library programs, special education, and other duties of school districts and the governing boards of charter schools and innovation zone schools.

SF 113 modifies Iowa school curriculum and library policies. It requires all public school districts and charter schools to provide age-appropriate human growth and development education (including STD and HPV information) in grades K-12, and mandates school library programs to contain only age-appropriate materials. The bill establishes penalties for violations, including written warnings for first offenses and potential disciplinary hearings for repeated violations by school staff. It defines "age-appropriate" to exclude explicit sexual content and requires school libraries to maintain diverse, updated collections supporting curriculum needs. The law directly affects school districts, charter schools, and their employees in implementing these educational and library standards.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationMandates specific curriculum content (STD/HPV education) and restricts library materials to 'age-appropriate,' limiting school autonomy over educational content and materials.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates STD/HPV education in K-12 curricula, directly advancing public health initiatives through preventive health education in schools.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Libraries Student Health

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Jan 30, 2025

SSB 1028: A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curricula provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades one through twelve.

SSB 1028 requires Iowa public and nonpublic schools (including charter and innovation zone schools) to include specific content about fetal development in health and human growth curricula for all students in grades 1-12. The bill mandates that instruction include "human development inside the womb," high-definition ultrasound videos showing fetal organs, and computer-generated animations depicting prenatal development from fertilization. Schools must use medically accurate, research-based materials verified by major health organizations like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This policy directly affects all K-12 schools in Iowa by changing curriculum requirements for health and human development education.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationMandates specific fetal development content in health curricula, restricting curriculum choice and academic freedom in schools.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 12, 2025

HSB 84: A bill for an act prohibiting school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from providing any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation to students in grades seven through twelve.

HSB 84 prohibits Iowa public school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from providing any instruction, curriculum, test, survey, or program related to gender identity or sexual orientation to students in grades seven through twelve. This bill extends an existing ban (previously limited to kindergarten through grade six) to cover all middle and high school students. The key provision explicitly bans all educational materials or activities addressing these topics in the specified grades, without requiring alternative content. The bill applies directly to all public schools in Iowa serving grades 7-12.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill explicitly prohibits curriculum content on gender identity/sexual orientation in grades 7-12, restricting educational materials and academic freedom per bill language.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HF 150: A bill for an act prohibiting school districts from using standards-based grading in grades six through twelve.

HF 150 prohibits Iowa public school districts from using standards-based grading for students in grades six through twelve. The bill defines standards-based grading as a method that evaluates students on mastery of specific, smaller learning objectives within subjects, rather than traditional letter grades or points. If passed, school districts would be required to switch to alternative grading systems for middle and high school students. The bill is currently under review by the education subcommittee after being introduced in January 2025.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationProhibits standards-based grading method for middle/high schools, restricting educational practice and mandating alternative systems per bill's explicit language.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education Testing & Assessment

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in committee · Iowa · House Mar 5, 2025

HSB 106: A bill for an act relating to electronic devices in schools, including student access during instructional hours, school safety plans, and instruction related to the effects of social media in grades six through eight, and including effective date provisions.

This bill requires Iowa school districts to adopt policies restricting student use of personal electronic devices during classroom instruction by the 2025 school year. It mandates that health classes in grades six through eight include age-appropriate instruction about the effects of social media. The policies must cover device storage, emergency communication methods, and exceptions for students with individualized education plans (IEPs) or 504 plans. Schools must also develop model policies for device use and provide teacher training on social media effects, as outlined in updated health curriculum standards.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts student device use during classroom instruction, limiting tech access in learning environments per bill's core requirement.95% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyRestricts student device use during class, mandating policies limiting personal electronic device access in educational settings, directly opposing unregulated technology use in schools.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum School Safety Teachers Social Media

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in committee · Iowa · House Mar 7, 2025

HF 88: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.

HF 88 modifies Iowa's education laws to clarify requirements for private instruction, world language teaching, and tuition tax credits. It requires parents of privately instructed children to submit detailed course outlines, immunization records, and blood lead test results by September 1 each year. The bill defines "independent private instruction" as non-accredited programs with ≤4 unrelated students, no tuition, and religious focus, while ensuring diplomas from such programs are treated equally to public school diplomas. It also prohibits altering grammatical gender in world language instruction (e.g., Spanish/French) and provides a 25.5% tax credit for tuition paid for kindergarten through grade 12. These changes apply immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationAdds annual reporting requirements for private instruction and restricts definition of valid private education programs, limiting flexibility for non-accredited private schools.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Apr 3, 2025

HF 929: A bill for an act relating to school districts, including by modifying provisions related to closed sessions of meetings of the boards of directors of school districts and school district requirements to publish information regarding the school district’s policies and procedures and educational materials available to students enrolled in the school district.

HF 929 requires Iowa school districts to publish online lists of all books in school libraries and instructional materials (like textbooks, articles, and videos) used in classrooms, organized by subject, grade, and teacher. It creates a formal process for parents or guardians to request removal of specific materials, allowing school boards to discuss such requests in closed sessions. School districts must post these lists within 10 days of materials being used and maintain them for two years, with specific formatting rules for digital access. The law applies to all public school districts starting July 1, 2025, and mandates annual policy updates for parents on material review procedures.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRequires public lists of materials and enables removal requests via closed sessions, restricting curriculum access and academic freedom in schools.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Libraries Teachers

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