Education

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 10, 2026

HF 2123: A bill for an act relating to state entities, including by modifying provisions related to prohibited diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and officers and to trainings and curricula regarding specific defined concepts provided by school districts.

HF 2123 prohibits state entities, including school districts, from establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices or providing trainings about "specific defined concepts" in curricula. If a violation occurs, the bill mandates termination of the violating employee’s employment and, if a supervisor knew of the violation and failed to act, their termination too. It also requires revocation of professional licenses for affected employees and imposes civil penalties on the entity (ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 based on budget size) payable to the state general fund. The law allows students, alumni, or employees to sue school districts for violations, with enforcement handled by the attorney general or private parties.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationProhibits DEI offices and curricula trainings in schools, restricting diversity initiatives in education policy per bill's explicit language.95% confidence

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 6, 2026

HF 2121: 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 theory or sexual orientation instruction in grades seven through twelve.

This bill prohibits Iowa public school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from offering any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction about gender theory or sexual orientation to students in grades seven through twelve. It extends an existing ban that previously applied only to kindergarten through sixth grade to cover all middle and high school students. The law requires schools to remove such content from their human growth and development curriculum, which must instead focus on age-appropriate, research-based topics like health, safety, and disease prevention as outlined in other sections of the law. This is a direct policy change affecting school curricula in 7th-12th grades across participating schools.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationProhibits teaching gender theory/sexual orientation in grades 7-12, restricting curriculum content per bill's explicit language.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Jan 28, 2026

HF 2192: A bill for an act relating to bond election requirements and limitations applicable to school districts.

HF 2192 raises the voter approval threshold for school district bond proposals from 60% to 80% of total votes cast, while maintaining the 60% requirement for other local entities like counties or cities. It also requires school districts to set aside at least 50% of a project's total cost in dedicated funds before holding a bond election, and prohibits a school district from resubmitting a failed bond proposal for four years after a vote rejection. The bill directly affects Iowa school districts seeking to issue bonds for capital projects, such as building or renovating schools. These changes aim to strengthen voter approval requirements and ensure financial commitment before bond elections.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill restricts school district bond approvals by raising voter thresholds, requiring dedicated funds, and banning resubmission, limiting local government spending on school infrastructure.85% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRaises bond approval threshold to 80% and requires 50% dedicated funds, making school funding harder to secure, restricting access to bond financing for school projects.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Debt & Bonds

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Jan 26, 2026

HF 2152: A bill for an act repealing the school tuition organization tax credit available against the individual and corporate income taxes and including effective date provisions.

HF 2152 repeals Iowa's school tuition organization (STO) tax credit program, which allowed taxpayers to reduce their individual or corporate income tax by 75% of donations to private schools. Starting July 1, 2026, new contributions to STOs will no longer qualify for this credit, and the annual credit limit for 2026 is reduced to $10 million (down from $20 million). The program is fully repealed effective July 1, 2032, ending all future use of the credit. This directly affects Iowa taxpayers and businesses that previously claimed this credit against their state income tax bills.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesRepeals tax credit diverting state revenue to private schools, closing a tax loophole that reduced public tax revenue by $10M+ annually.95% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill repeals tax credit funding for private school donations, directly reducing financial support for private education options and limiting educational access via tax incentives.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Income Tax Tax Credits Higher Education School Choice

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 24, 2025

HSB 242: A bill for an act relating to sex and gender, including those and related terms for purposes of statutory construction, indications of a person’s sex on certain vital records, gender identity under the Iowa civil rights Act, and school curricula related to gender theory.

HSB 242 defines "sex" biologically as male or female at birth for legal purposes, requiring vital records like birth certificates to reflect this designation. It clarifies that "gender" alone means biological sex in statutes (not gender identity) and updates anti-discrimination laws to specify "sex" refers to biological sex. The bill changes birth certificate procedures to mandate showing a person's sex at birth, with limited exceptions for medical conditions. This affects Iowans obtaining birth certificates and shapes how Iowa state laws interpret sex and gender in public policy.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts school curricula on gender theory by defining 'sex' biologically, limiting discussion of gender identity in education per bill's explicit focus on curricula related to gender theory.95% confidence

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Jan 16, 2025

HF 76: 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.

HF 76 requires Iowa public and private schools to include specific content about pregnancy and fetal development in health and human growth curricula for students in grades 7-12. The bill mandates that this instruction cover human biology related to pregnancy, fetal development inside the womb, and include a 3-minute high-definition ultrasound video showing early organ development. It also requires a computer-generated animation demonstrating fertilization and every stage of fetal development with key milestones. These provisions apply to all school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools offering the required courses.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationMandates specific curriculum content on pregnancy/fetal development, restricting educational freedom and curricular autonomy in health education.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

Track

in committee · Iowa · Senate Jan 30, 2025

SSB 1023: A bill for an act relating to participation in cocurricular and extracurricular activities offered by school districts by pupils who open enroll for purposes of receiving educational instruction and course content primarily over the internet.

This bill clarifies that Iowa students enrolled in online open-enrollment programs can participate in their district's sports, clubs, and other extracurricular activities only if the online school does not sponsor those same activities. It limits participation to two activities per school year unless the district approves additional ones, and requires these students to follow the same eligibility, conduct, and other rules as in-person students. The change updates existing law to prevent conflicts where online schools might sponsor competing activities, ensuring consistency for district-sponsored programs. This is a technical clarification to the education code, not a new policy.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill restricts online students' extracurricular access to two activities/year unless approved, limiting participation opportunities under district rules.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

Track

in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 6, 2025

SF 115: A bill for an act relating to human growth and development course enrollment at school districts and to pupil attendance at educational conferences or seminars in which human growth and development information is provided.

SF 115 requires Iowa school districts to obtain written parental consent before enrolling students in human growth and development courses or facilitating attendance at related educational conferences. It mandates that school boards annually provide parents with specific information about such courses, materials, and conferences. The bill prohibits schools from requiring student participation in these programs without a parent's written request for excusal. School districts must cover the costs of compliance using existing state school foundation aid, as specified in the bill.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRequires parental consent for human growth courses, restricting school curriculum implementation without parental permission, limiting program access.90% confidence

Track

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

Track

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 12, 2025

HF 359: A bill for an act relating to disclosures on property tax statements concerning school district funding reductions and individual taxpayer payments to the education savings account program.

HF 359 requires Iowa property tax statements to include three specific disclosures for each taxpayer: (1) how much less funding their school district received this year compared to last year due to students using education savings accounts (ESAs), (2) how much of their state income taxes funded the ESA program, and (3) a standardized statement showing the exact amount of reduced school funding linked to ESA payments. These disclosures directly affect property owners and taxpayers by making visible the connection between their payments and school funding changes caused by the ESA program. The bill mandates the Department of Management to calculate the funding reduction data and collaborate with the Department of Revenue to determine the tax contribution figures, then transmit both to the treasurer for inclusion on tax statements. This is a transparency measure focused on informing taxpayers about ESA program impacts, not altering the program itself.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill mandates disclosures showing school funding reductions due to ESA usage, highlighting defunding of public schools through taxpayer-facing disclosures.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice School Funding

Track