Education (Curriculum)

in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 5, 2025

SF 127: A bill for an act establishing a school of intellectual freedom at the university of Iowa.

SF 127 establishes a School of Intellectual Freedom as an independent academic unit within the University of Iowa's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The school must teach courses on historical ideas shaping U.S. constitutional order, free speech, civil discourse, and responsible citizenship to all university students. It requires at least five tenure-eligible faculty, mandates that all funding directly supports the school (not university overhead), and sets rules for its governance and curriculum through required bylaws. The bill aims to expand intellectual diversity and civic engagement across the university community through its academic programming.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes dedicated university school teaching free speech/civil discourse courses to all students with mandated faculty and direct funding - enhances higher education curriculum and intellectual freedom.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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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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passed · Iowa · House Mar 19, 2025

HF 513: A bill for an act relating to participation in high school extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests or competitions by students enrolled in grade eight.

HF 513 requires Iowa school districts, nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to allow 8th-grade students who meet the school's academic standards to participate in high school athletic competitions designed for grades 9-12. The bill mandates that schools must permit these students to join existing interscholastic athletic programs on the same basis as older students. It does not change eligibility requirements but ensures schools cannot exclude qualified 8th graders from participating in current high school sports offerings. This policy directly affects 8th graders seeking athletic opportunities and the schools managing those programs.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands educational access by mandating school districts to permit qualified 8th graders to join high school athletic programs, increasing student participation opportunities in school activities.95% 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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in committee · Iowa · House Apr 3, 2025

HF 520: A bill for an act relating to social studies instruction, including instruction in United States government, provided to students enrolled in grades nine through twelve, and including applicability provisions.

HF 520 increases Iowa's required social studies curriculum for grades 9-12 by mandating one full unit of United States government instruction (up from one-half unit), replacing the current standard. It requires all students in public school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to complete this instruction, which must cover voting procedures, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and civics. The bill also specifies that U.S. government instruction must include an assessment of students' knowledge of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. This requirement applies to all affected schools starting with the 2026-2027 school year.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates increased U.S. government curriculum (1 unit vs 0.5) covering Constitution and civics for all high schools, strengthening civic education standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Testing & Assessment

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in committee · Iowa · House Apr 3, 2025

HF 845: A bill for an act relating to elective social studies courses emphasizing religious scripture that school districts may offer and teach.

HF 845 allows Iowa public high schools (grades 9-12) to offer elective social studies courses focused on the Bible's Old and New Testaments, subject to school board approval. School districts must get a recommendation from a school improvement committee and a majority vote from the school board to implement such courses. Courses must teach how biblical content influences modern culture, literature, and society while maintaining religious neutrality - prohibiting endorsement of any faith and requiring students to choose their own Bible translations. The bill affects Iowa high school students and teachers, who must follow state guidelines for course content and professional development.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAllows elective social studies courses on biblical influence, enhancing curriculum options in K-12 education while maintaining religious neutrality.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Apr 3, 2025

HF 270: A bill for an act requiring regents institutions to make certain course syllabus information available to the public online and including effective date provisions.

HF 270 requires Iowa's public universities to post key syllabus details online for every undergraduate course meeting in a classroom. The syllabus must include the instructor's name, descriptions of major assignments/exams, and required readings. Institutions must make this information searchable, accessible without login within five clicks from their homepage, available by the first day of classes, and kept online for at least a year. The bill does not apply to non-classroom courses like internships or study abroad programs and takes effect December 31, 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires public syllabus transparency for university courses, enhancing student access to course details and improving educational transparency.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Higher Education

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died · Iowa · House Apr 17, 2025

HF 391: 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.

Bill HF 391 requires school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to incorporate specific content related to pregnancy and fetal development into their curricula. This affects students in grades seven through twelve. The bill mandates that human growth and development (grades 7-8) and health (grades 9-12) curricula include instruction on human biology related to pregnancy and development inside the womb. Key provisions require the use of a high-definition ultrasound video, at least three minutes long, showing early fetal organ development. It also requires a computer-generated rendering or animation, similar to the "Meet Baby Olivia" video, depicting fertilization and every stage of human development inside the uterus until birth.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates inclusion of pregnancy/fetal development content in required health and human growth curricula for grades 7-12, expanding educational content standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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passed · Iowa · House Mar 10, 2026

HF 851: A bill for an act relating to student nutrition, including by modifying the curricula provided to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade twelve to include instruction related to nutrition, modifying provisions related to the agriculture, food, and natural resources component of the career and technical education instruction provided to students enrolled in grades nine through twelve, and modifying provisions related to school meal programs, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

HF 851 requires all Iowa public and nonpublic schools offering kindergarten through grade 12 to include specific nutrition education in their health curricula. It mandates that students learn about the importance, benefits, and role of animal-based proteins, dairy, vegetables, and fruits in a balanced diet across multiple grade levels. The bill also modifies career and technical education to include agriculture, food, and natural resources instruction, emphasizing local food sourcing. These changes apply to all schools meeting state curriculum standards, with requirements beginning in the 2023-2024 school year for certain grades.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates nutrition curriculum in K-12 health classes and modifies CTE to include agriculture, enhancing educational content per bill's requirements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Student Health

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Jan 21, 2026

SF 510: A bill for an act relating to elective social studies courses emphasizing religious scripture that school districts may offer and teach.

SF 510 allows Iowa public school districts to offer elective social studies courses focused on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), New Testament, or both to students in grades 9-12. School boards must approve such courses after a school improvement advisory committee recommends them by majority vote. The bill requires courses to teach biblical content, history, and cultural influence for understanding society, while mandating strict religious neutrality - prohibiting endorsement of any religion and requiring accommodation of diverse student perspectives. Students may use alternative Bible translations, and schools may display religious materials only if educationally appropriate and consistent with neutrality guidelines.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEnables elective religious scripture courses in social studies for grades 9-12, expanding curriculum options while mandating religious neutrality per educational standards.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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