Education (K-12 Education)

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 3, 2026

HF 2265: A bill for an act modifying provisions related to eligibility for payments under the education savings account program, and including effective date provisions.

This bill modifies Iowa's education savings account program eligibility. For the 2025 school year (starting July 1, 2025), it maintains current rules allowing nonpublic school students (K-12) to receive payments. Starting July 1, 2026, it adds an income requirement: households must earn 400% or less of the U.S. federal poverty income guidelines to qualify. The change directly affects families with children attending nonpublic schools who seek these state-funded education savings accounts. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationAdds income requirement (400% poverty) to restrict eligibility for education savings accounts, limiting access for higher-income families.90% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education School Choice

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introduced · Iowa · House Feb 6, 2026

HF 2338: 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.

HF 2338 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. This bill extends an existing ban (previously limited to kindergarten through grade six) to cover all middle and high school grades. The law requires schools to comply with this restriction when developing human growth and development courses, including those covering topics like sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases. It amends multiple sections of Iowa code to enforce this prohibition uniformly across all covered school types.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationProhibits gender theory and sexual orientation instruction in grades 7-12, restricting curriculum content in schools per bill's explicit language.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 5, 2026

HF 2286: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to the social studies curriculum, core curriculum, graduation requirements, area education agencies, and high school equivalency diplomas, and including transition provisions and effective date and applicability provisions.

HF 2286 replaces Iowa's social studies curriculum standards by directly adopting South Dakota's standards as the state's new requirements. It mandates specific content including U.S. government, U.S. history, and voting procedures (requiring one-half unit of government and one unit of history), while explicitly prohibiting "action civics" (defined as assignments encouraging political activism or advocacy). The bill modifies graduation requirements to include three years of social studies and removes the Iowa Department of Education's authority to set social studies content, directing schools to follow the adopted standards instead. This directly affects all Iowa public and accredited nonpublic schools, their students, and teachers implementing social studies curriculum.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationProhibits 'action civics' and mandates specific social studies content, restricting curriculum freedom per bill's explicit language.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 23, 2026

HF 2451: A bill for an act relating to student instructional technology standards, including elementary school digital instruction limits, technology use policies, and governance of one-to-one digital device programs.

HF 2451 sets a 60-minute daily limit on digital instruction for Iowa students in kindergarten through fifth grade, excluding uses like IEP-required technology, teacher demonstrations, or state assessments. It requires school districts to adopt written technology use policies for these grades, including daily limits, a list of digital platforms, parent opt-out rights, and a statement that technology should support foundational learning. The bill also mandates a technology adoption checklist for one-to-one device programs, covering instructional purpose, age appropriateness, content filtering, and student data practices. These policies and checklists must be published online for public access. The bill applies to all school districts, charter schools, and innovation school zones in Iowa.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts digital instruction time to 60 minutes daily in K-5 and mandates policies limiting tech use, aligning with OPPOSE indicators of restricting educational technology access.85% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyImposes 60-minute daily digital instruction limit for K-5, mandates restrictions on tech use, and requires opt-out policies, directly limiting technology integration in schools.92% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Special Education Teachers Data Privacy Online Safety

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 12, 2026

SF 2176: A bill for an act relating to the district-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program.

This bill requires students (or their parents/guardians if the student is a minor) to reimburse school districts if they fail a community college course taken through the district-to-community college concurrent enrollment program. Specifically, if a student fails a class offered by a community college or taught by a community college instructor, the school district can request payment equal to the amount it paid the college for that student's participation. The reimbursement applies only to the district's direct costs for that specific course, not to the student's regular tuition or fees. This policy directly affects high school students in Iowa's concurrent enrollment programs who fail a college-level course.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRequires student reimbursement for failed community college courses, creating financial barriers that limit program access and participation in concurrent enrollment.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education K-12 Education

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introduced · Iowa · House Feb 23, 2026

HF 2685: A bill for an act relating to student instructional technology standards, including elementary school digital instruction limits, technology use policies, and governance of one-to-one digital device programs.

HF 2685 establishes Iowa's first statewide standards for student instructional technology in elementary schools (K-5). It limits digital instruction to 60 minutes daily, excluding uses like IEP-required technology, teacher demonstrations, assessments, and computer science classes. School districts must adopt written policies detailing daily limits, digital tools used, and parental opt-out rights for reduced screen time, and publish these policies online. The bill also requires transparency around one-to-one device programs, including data practices and parental choice options, but excludes online learning programs.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill imposes 60-minute daily limit on digital instruction in K-5 schools, restricting technology use in classrooms with specific exceptions.85% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyImposes 60-minute daily limit on elementary student digital instruction, restricting technology use in schools per bill's core provisions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Special Education Teachers Data Privacy

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 11, 2026

SSB 3109: A bill for an act requiring school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to provide success-sequence education in grades seven through twelve.

This bill requires all Iowa public school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to incorporate "success-sequence education" into grades 7-12 curricula. It defines this instruction as covering evidence-based milestones (like earning a high school diploma, securing full-time employment, and marriage) and research on marriage benefits and outcomes for children of divorced parents. The content must be included in social studies for grades 7-8 and in health education/personal finance for grades 9-12. The bill specifies that existing state school foundation aid funds will cover implementation costs, with no additional state funding required.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationMandates specific curriculum content on marriage/divorce research, restricting academic freedom in education curricula as required by law.85% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education

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introduced · Iowa · House Feb 6, 2026

HF 2324: A bill for an act prohibiting school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from entering into certain specified contracts with public libraries and hosting mobile libraries.

HF 2324 prohibits Iowa school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from entering agreements with public libraries that let students use school-issued ID cards to access library materials. It also bans these schools from allowing mobile libraries (vehicles owned/operated by public libraries that transport books) to host events on school property where students can check out books. The bill defines "public library" as city-established libraries or library districts, and "mobile library" as a vehicle used to transport educational materials. These restrictions apply directly to all K-12 schools in Iowa seeking to collaborate with public libraries or host mobile library services. The law aims to prevent specific types of partnerships between schools and public libraries.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationProhibits school access to library resources via student IDs and mobile libraries, limiting student educational access and collaboration with public libraries.90% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Libraries

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vetoed · Iowa · Senate Jun 2, 2026

SF 2299: A bill for an act relating to the district-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program.

This bill requires students (or their parents/guardians if minors) to reimburse school districts for community college courses taken through concurrent enrollment programs if the student fails the course. Specifically, if a student fails a class offered by a community college or taught by its instructor, the school district can request payment equal to the amount it paid the college for that specific course. The policy applies to high school students enrolled in Iowa's district-to-community college sharing program, which allows them to earn college credits while in high school. This change modifies existing rules under Code section 261E.8 to shift the financial responsibility for failed courses back to the student or family.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationImposes financial penalty for course failure, restricting access to concurrent enrollment programs by creating disincentive for students to participate.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education K-12 Education

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 16, 2026

SF 2241: A bill for an act relating to charter school requirements, including reporting requirements, governance standards, financial accountability, and oversight by the state board of education.

This bill (SF 2241) sets new requirements for Iowa charter schools, directly affecting charter schools and their relationships with school districts. Key provisions include limiting charter schools to one per 10,000 students statewide per grade level (elementary/middle/high), mandating that governing boards include at least 50% parents of enrolled students and a school district representative, and requiring detailed annual reports on student enrollment, withdrawals, finances (including management fees), and academic performance. Charter schools must also comply with public fund restrictions and assessment reporting similar to traditional public schools. The state board of education will develop oversight standards to monitor academic, financial, and operational performance, with enhanced monitoring for underperforming schools.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill restricts charter school expansion (1 per 10k students) and imposes strict governance/oversight requirements, limiting their growth in the education system.90% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education School Choice Testing & Assessment

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