Education (Curriculum)

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 19, 2026

SF 2405: A bill for an act relating to trainings and curricula regarding specific defined concepts provided by public institutions of higher education and school districts.

SF 2405 requires public schools and colleges in Iowa to ensure that all staff, contractors, and volunteers avoid promoting stereotyping or scapegoating based on demographic group membership or identity in any curriculum, educational materials, or training. It prohibits school districts from using public funds or resources to support such content and mandates that all relevant personnel receive training on these requirements. The bill allows parents, employees, or residents to file lawsuits seeking to stop violations without needing to prove personal harm. This policy directly affects school districts, higher education institutions, and their employees, contractors, and volunteers who develop or deliver educational content.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts curriculum content by banning stereotyping based on identity, requiring staff training, and allowing lawsuits for violations, directly limiting educational content in schools.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 23, 2026

HSB 746: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to summative testing in schools and the educational program provided to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade twelve.

This bill modifies Iowa's K-12 education standards by changing annual testing requirements. It mandates assessments in math, English language arts, science, and social studies for specific grades (e.g., math/ELA in grades 3-11, science in grades 5/8/10, social studies in grades 8/10), requiring alignment with Iowa's academic standards and federal accountability rules. The bill also updates health curriculum standards to include age-appropriate information on communicable and sexually transmitted diseases, adds suicide prevention protocols for schools, and establishes training for equity coordinators. These changes directly affect all Iowa public and nonpublic schools serving kindergarten through grade 12, requiring school districts to implement new testing schedules, curriculum content, and safety protocols.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates aligned assessments and updates health curriculum standards, reinforcing educational requirements and accountability without restricting access or funding.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education Testing & Assessment

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 19, 2026

HSB 675: A bill for an act relating to education programs and systems, including career and technical education expenditures and definitions, statewide lower division general education framework and common course numbering systems, and the implementation of a statewide corequisite model in Iowa community colleges.

This Iowa bill (HSB 675) establishes new standards for career and technical education (CTE) in K-12 schools and creates statewide transfer systems for community colleges. It requires schools to offer computer science instruction starting in 2023, mandate six specific CTE content areas (like health sciences and business), and define "high-demand" occupations to guide career planning. For community colleges, it implements a common course numbering system to simplify transfers and requires replacing remedial math/English with corequisite models by 2028-2029. The bill directly affects Iowa public schools, community colleges, and students pursuing CTE pathways or college transfers.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates computer science instruction, requires six CTE content areas, and creates transfer systems for community colleges, advancing educational access and curriculum standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education Curriculum Higher Education

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 16, 2026

HSB 714: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to the social studies instruction provided to students enrolled in grades one through twelve and the educational programs provided by the institutions of higher education under the control of the state board of regents, and requiring education related to the holocaust for students and teachers in school districts.

This bill modifies Iowa's social studies curriculum for grades 1-12 and requires Holocaust education for students and teachers in public school districts. It mandates specific historical documents (like the Declaration of Independence, Federalist Papers, and Emancipation Proclamation) be studied in grades 5-6 and throughout social studies, emphasizes "admirable Americans" (including Lincoln and Douglass), and requires instruction on U.S. founding principles, free enterprise economics, and Iowa history. The bill also adds Holocaust education as a required component for both students and teachers. These changes directly affect all public school students and educators in Iowa's K-12 system.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates specific historical curriculum content (Declaration of Independence, Holocaust education) and foundational principles, enhancing social studies standards per bill's requirements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education

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passed · Iowa · Senate Feb 25, 2026

SF 2224: A bill for an act relating to computer science education, including by modifying provisions related to standards for computer science education, the curriculum provided to students enrolled in grades nine through twelve, and practitioner preparation programs, and including applicability provisions.

SF 2224 requires all Iowa public high schools (grades 9-12) to include artificial intelligence fundamentals in computer science courses, mandating instruction on what AI is, how it works, and its societal impacts. It updates graduation requirements to mandate a half-unit of computer science starting in 2022, allowing schools to fulfill part of this requirement through applied science, technology, engineering, or manufacturing courses. The bill also adds new standards for teacher preparation programs, requiring future educators to complete training in AI and computational thinking relevant to their grade level. These changes apply to all Iowa public schools and teacher training institutions, directly affecting students, educators, and curriculum developers. The law modifies existing education codes (sections 256.7, 256.11, and 256.16) to implement these requirements.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates AI fundamentals in high school CS curriculum and updates graduation requirements to strengthen computer science education standards.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates AI fundamentals in high school CS curriculum, requiring instruction on AI's societal impacts, advancing tech education and digital literacy standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education Teachers Artificial Intelligence

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 19, 2026

SF 2406: A bill for an act relating to charter schools and innovation zone schools, including by modifying provisions related to charter school funding and operations, services provided to charter schools by area education agencies, charter school contracts, and charter school student participation in extracurricular activities provided by public schools, striking provisions allowing for the establishment of innovation zone schools, and including applicability provisions.

This bill modifies Iowa's charter school laws by eliminating innovation zone schools entirely and centralizing authorization under the state board of education. It requires charter schools to operate as nonprofits, mandates specific curriculum resources (like math plans and civics tests), and ensures charter school students can participate in public school extracurricular activities. The bill directly affects charter schools, school districts, and students by changing how charter schools are authorized, funded, and required to provide educational services. Key provisions include the state board as the sole authorizer, new requirements for math and civics resources, and removing all references to innovation zone schools from the code.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates curriculum standards (math plans, civics tests) and ensures charter students' extracurricular access, strengthening educational requirements and equity.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum School Choice School Funding

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 23, 2026

HSB 717: A bill for an act relating to entities supported in whole or in part by taxation, including by modifying provisions related to the duties and responsibilities of the directors and officers of school boards, school improvement advisory committees, the sale of public bonds, statewide school infrastructure funding, open enrollment, and the membership and voting units of county and city conference boards, and including applicability provisions.

This bill modifies school governance and funding rules in Iowa. It requires school districts to hold public hearings and potentially seek voter approval for new programs like instructional support and educational improvement funding, with smaller districts (under 1,200 students) allowed to post notices online instead of in newspapers. It also grants school board members new access rights to curriculum materials, library resources, and professional development content, while changing procedures for filling board vacancies. The bill directly affects school districts, their boards, and voters regarding funding decisions and board operations.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill requires public hearings for educational improvement funding programs and modifies governance to enable school district program implementation, directly advancing educational access and funding structures.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum School Choice School Funding

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 16, 2026

HF 2470: A bill for an act requiring the department of education to develop and administer a pilot program that authorizes school districts and charter schools to offer instruction in logic and critical thinking.

HF 2470 requires Iowa's Department of Education to create a voluntary pilot program allowing public school districts and charter schools to offer logic and critical thinking instruction to students in grades six through eight. Schools may provide this as a standalone course, elective, or integrated into existing classes, but participation and student completion are optional. The curriculum must be skills-based and neutral, covering logical reasoning, fallacy identification, evidence evaluation, and historical propaganda analysis - without promoting political or ideological views. The pilot runs for two school years (2027-2028), with schools submitting annual reports and the Department reporting to lawmakers by December 2029 on the program's effectiveness.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill creates voluntary pilot program for critical thinking curriculum in middle schools, enhancing educational content without restrictions.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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died · Iowa · Senate Mar 4, 2026

SF 2391: A bill for an act relating to education programs and systems, including career and technical education expenditures and definitions, statewide lower division general education framework and common course numbering systems, and the implementation of a statewide corequisite model in Iowa community colleges.

SF 2391 establishes new requirements for Iowa's career and technical education (CTE) programs and community college coursework. It mandates high schools to offer computer science aligned with state standards starting in 2023, requires students to complete sequential CTE coursework across four of six defined career areas (like health sciences or business), and defines "high-demand," "high-skill," and "high-wage" occupations to guide program development. For community colleges, the bill requires implementing a statewide common course numbering system by 2027 to improve transferability and replacing traditional remedial math/English courses with corequisite models by 2028-2029. These changes directly affect Iowa K-12 students, educators, school districts, and community colleges through updated curriculum standards and institutional practices.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates computer science courses, requires sequential CTE coursework, and defines high-demand occupations to strengthen educational programs and career pathways.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education Curriculum Higher Education

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 9, 2026

SF 2060: A bill for an act relating to eligibility standards for certain education programs and tax provisions based on religious or sectarian use or purpose, and including retroactive applicability provisions.

This bill modifies Iowa's education and tax laws to ensure public funding for educational programs excludes religious instruction. It defines "property" to exclude facilities used for sectarian teaching, worship, or religious training, and requires courses for high school students taking college credit to be nonsectarian. School districts must verify comparable nonreligious courses aren't available before allowing students to enroll in eligible college courses at community colleges. Textbook funding for nonpublic schools must be for nonreligious materials, and districts must annually approve courses for academic rigor. The bill affects public school districts, community colleges, and accredited nonpublic schools in Iowa.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill restricts public funding for religious instruction by modifying tax laws, excluding sectarian facilities and requiring nonsectarian courses. This defunds religious use of public funds, directly limiting government spending per tax provisions.90% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts public funding for religious instruction in education programs, excluding sectarian use from tax provisions and requiring nonsectarian courses.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Higher Education K-12 Education

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