Education (Curriculum)

in committee · Iowa · House Mar 7, 2025

HSB 218: A bill for an act relating to students who attend a course in religious instruction that is provided by a private organization, including by modifying provisions related to compulsory education and chronic absenteeism and allowing school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to adopt policies related to awarding academic credit for the completion of a course in religious instruction.

HB 218 allows Iowa school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to create policies awarding academic credit for religious instruction courses provided by private organizations. It modifies compulsory education rules by exempting students from attendance requirements when attending such courses (with limits: max 5 hours weekly, required parental notification, and private organization maintaining attendance records). The bill also explicitly excludes these religious instruction absences from counting toward chronic absenteeism thresholds under Iowa law. School policies must evaluate courses based on instructional hours, assessment methods, and instructor qualifications - without considering religious content or denominational affiliation - to determine if they meet academic standards.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAllows academic credit for religious instruction courses, expanding curriculum options and educational access for students within school policies.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Testing & Assessment

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HSB 56: A bill for an act establishing completion of a course on American history and civil government as a requirement for the completion of a baccalaureate degree program at a public institution of higher education.

This bill requires all students at Iowa public colleges pursuing a bachelor's degree to complete a mandatory 3-credit survey course in American history and civil government starting in the 2027 academic year. The course must cover foundational U.S. government principles, historical development of republican institutions, key founding documents (like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence), landmark Supreme Court cases, and comparative government systems. It specifies required readings including the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," and ensures the course fulfills social science general education requirements. Students transferring between Iowa public institutions will not need to repeat the course.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates required American history/civics course, enhancing higher education curriculum standards per bill's explicit requirements.90% 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 6, 2025

HSB 55: A bill for an act requiring regents institutions to make certain course syllabus information available to the public online and including effective date provisions.

This bill, the "Syllabus Transparency Act," requires Iowa regents institutions to publish key syllabus details for every undergraduate course online. It mandates that each syllabus include the instructor's name, descriptions of major assignments/exams, required readings, and lecture topics. The information must be freely accessible without login, searchable, available on the institution's homepage within five clicks, and posted by the first day of each term - remaining online for at least one year. The law takes effect December 31, 2025, directly affecting public universities and their students and faculty.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires public syllabus transparency at regents institutions, increasing access to course information and promoting accountability in higher education.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Higher Education Tags Government Transparency

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 10, 2025

HSB 44: A bill for an act relating to career education, including middle school career exploration and industry-recognized credential seals and certificates for high school students.

This bill requires Iowa public schools to create a list of industry-recognized credentials for high school students (grades 9-12) aligned with career pathways, and develop a transcript seal for students earning these credentials. It mandates career exploration in middle school (grades 5-6 and 7-8) through curriculum including career investigation and connections, helping students plan their academic paths. School districts must confidentially report student credential attainment to the education department and apply the seal to transcripts or issue a certificate for qualifying graduates. The policy directly affects Iowa public school students, districts, and the Department of Education.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates career exploration in middle school and industry-recognized credentials for high school students, enhancing curriculum and student program access.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education Curriculum K-12 Education

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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 · 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

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 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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