Education

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 12, 2025

SF 34: A bill for an act relating to physical activity requirements applicable to students in kindergarten through grade five.

This bill requires Iowa public schools to provide physically able kindergarten through grade five students with 30 consecutive minutes of daily physical activity, separate from the standard physical education curriculum. Schools must ensure this activity occurs unless specific exceptions apply, such as student safety risks, inclement weather requiring indoor relocation, early school dismissal, or student absence due to illness. The requirement does not apply to suspended or expelled students. This policy directly affects K-5 students and school district implementation practices.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates daily physical activity for K-5 students within school curricula, enhancing student health programs without restricting existing requirements.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Student Health

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 12, 2025

SF 61: A bill for an act relating to robotics extracurricular activities, including requiring the department of education to provide technical assistance to school districts related to chartering career and technical student organizations related to robotics and authorizing high school athletic organizations to sponsor interscholastic contests related to robotics.

SF 61 requires Iowa's Department of Education to provide technical assistance to school districts for starting robotics-focused career and technical student organizations. It also authorizes high school athletic organizations (that receive school district funding) to sponsor or host robotics competitions. The bill specifically supports schools in creating robotics teams and competitions that align with federal career education standards. This directly affects public and nonpublic high schools, students participating in robotics, and athletic organizations seeking to expand their programs. The policy change focuses on enabling school-based robotics activities through existing educational and athletic structures.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires DOE technical assistance for robotics student orgs and authorizes competitions, expanding career-focused extracurricular programs in schools.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill explicitly promotes robotics education in schools through career technical programs, advancing technology-focused student development and aligning with federal tech education standards.90% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 12, 2025

SF 12: A bill for an act relating to students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth who attend state institutions of higher education governed by the board of regents and community colleges.

This bill requires Iowa's public colleges and universities to provide reasonable accommodations for students who are pregnant or have recently given birth, such as rescheduling assignments, extending exam and degree deadlines by up to 12 months, and allowing leave of absence without academic penalty. It prohibits institutions from forcing students to withdraw or restricting their participation in classes solely due to pregnancy. Schools must create written policies on pregnancy accommodations, post these protections online, and assign a staff member to support affected students. The state Attorney General will handle complaints and forward verified cases to the federal Office for Civil Rights for review.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires accommodations for pregnant students in higher ed, protecting educational access and preventing discrimination per civil rights provisions.95% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 12, 2025

SF 72: A bill for an act establishing the advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement competitive scholar program within the college student aid commission and making appropriations.

SF 72 establishes a program to reimburse Iowa teachers up to 75% of tuition costs for obtaining a specialized dyslexia certification (an "advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement"). Teachers must work in Iowa schools or area education agencies while pursuing this certification and submit annual applications with proof of employment. The program provides two payments: 50% after the first year of teaching and the remaining 50% after the second year, with a maximum of two years of reimbursement per teacher. It is funded by a $335,000 appropriation for fiscal year 2025-2026, with unused funds carrying over to future years.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill explicitly creates state appropriations to fund teacher tuition reimbursements (up to 75% of costs) through the College Student Aid Commission, directly allocating budget resources for an educational program.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationReimburses teachers 75% tuition for dyslexia certification, requiring continued Iowa school employment, directly funding teacher professional development to improve student literacy services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HSB 34: A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.

This bill requires Iowa schools to include specific content about pregnancy and fetal development in health and human growth curricula for students in grades 7-12. It mandates that all public school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools teach human biology related to pregnancy, womb development, and show two specific media resources: a 3+ minute ultrasound video of early fetal organ development and an animation comparable to the "Meet Baby Olivia" video illustrating fertilization and development stages. These requirements apply to the human growth curriculum in grades 7-8 and health curriculum in grades 9-12. The bill does not alter existing standards for other health topics like sexually transmitted diseases.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates specific health curriculum content on pregnancy/fetal development for grades 7-12, advancing educational standards in human biology education.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HF 33: A bill for an act establishing an agriculture education grant program within the department of education and making appropriations.

HF 33 creates an Iowa Department of Education grant program to expand access to agriculture, food, and natural resources education for high school students (grades 9-12). School districts can apply for grants covering up to 100% of teacher costs for up to 60 days of additional instruction in new agriculture programs (under 10 years old), or 50% for established programs. Funds must supplement, not replace, existing district funding for similar purposes and will be tracked through a statewide system. The bill establishes a permanent state fund for these grants, with unused balances carrying over annually.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes grant program funding agriculture education expansion for high school students, supplementing existing district funding to increase access.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education Teachers

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died · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HF 319: A bill for an act relating to public school funding by establishing the state percent of growth and the categorical state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2025, modifying provisions relating to the property tax replacement payments and transportation equity payments, modifying provisions relating to the regular program state cost per pupil and funding for shared operational functions, establishing a school district funding supplement, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions.

This bill establishes specific annual funding growth rates for Iowa public schools starting in 2025, setting a 2.25% "state percent of growth" and a similar "categorical state percent of growth" for state funding. It modifies how school districts receive property tax replacement payments and transportation equity aid, calculating these payments based on each district's student enrollment and state cost-per-pupil formulas. The bill also creates a new school district funding supplement and includes required state appropriations for the 2025 budget year. These changes directly affect all Iowa public school districts by determining their annual state funding levels.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEstablishes 2.25% annual state funding growth for public schools, modifies state aid formulas to increase allocations, and creates new school district funding supplement, directly advancing education budget priorities.92% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes mandatory 2.25% annual state funding growth for Iowa public schools, creates new district funding supplement, and modifies formulas to increase predictability and adequacy of school finance.90% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HF 417: A bill for an act modifying the tuition and textbook tax credit available against the individual income tax, and including retroactive applicability provisions.

HF 417 increases Iowa's tuition and textbook tax credit for eligible families from 25% to 50% of the first $2,000 spent annually per dependent on private or accredited public school tuition and textbooks (K-12). It directly affects Iowa taxpayers with children attending qualifying non-profit, accredited schools that comply with civil rights laws. The bill applies retroactively to tax years beginning January 1, 2025, meaning families can claim the higher credit for 2025 taxes immediately. The credit remains subject to existing eligibility rules, including school accreditation and non-profit status requirements.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases tuition/textbook tax credit from 25% to 50%, providing direct tax relief to eligible families for K-12 education expenses.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationIncreases tax credit for K-12 tuition/textbooks from 25% to 50%, expanding financial support for families and improving educational access to accredited schools.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax Tax Credits Curriculum School Choice

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 13, 2025

SF 204: 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.

This bill modifies Iowa's education laws to update requirements for private instruction, world language teaching, dual enrollment access, and tax credits. It requires parents of privately instructed students to submit detailed course outlines and health documentation, while ensuring diplomas from private programs are treated equally to public school diplomas. The bill prohibits altering grammatical gender in world language instruction (e.g., Spanish, French) when teaching languages that use gendered grammar. It also clarifies dual enrollment access for privately instructed students to participate in public school academic and extracurricular activities. The tuition tax credit section is amended to adjust the credit amount for dependent students in kindergarten through grade 12.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEnsures equal diploma recognition for private education, expands dual enrollment access, and updates tax credits to support educational access and equity without restricting curriculum or funding.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HSB 63: A bill for an act providing for general education requirements for undergraduate students at regents institutions and including applicability provisions.

This bill establishes standardized general education requirements for undergraduate students at Iowa's regents institutions (public universities). It mandates specific course requirements: 6 credit hours each in English composition, world language, math/stats, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, plus 3 credit hours each in western heritage (e.g., Western civilization) and American heritage (e.g., American history), totaling a maximum of 40 semester hours. The bill also prohibits courses teaching identity politics or theories that systemic racism, sexism, or oppression are inherent in U.S. or Iowa institutions, while preserving academic freedom for instructors. It applies to students enrolling at these institutions starting in academic years beginning July 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates standardized core curriculum requirements across multiple academic areas, strengthening educational structure and consistency at public universities.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education

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