Meeting Public Comments

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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.

Agenda

Subcommittee members: Evans-CH, Green, Zimmer

Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Time: 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Location: Room 217 Conference Room

Comments Submitted:

The purpose of comments is to provide information to members of the subcommittee.

Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.

02-10-2026

Teresa Wellman

OPPOSED. Yall are NOT coming up with this bill on your own. This is direct from the Heritage Foundation, verified by the Family Leader lobby in favor of it. The bill calls for research but never specifies the source of that research. This bill aligns us with states like OH, TN, KY, and MS. Speaks so well of our state! The prescribed success sequence certainly has some validity on its face but it oversimplifies poverty, overlooks systemic, racial, and economic disadvantages that make make following this prescribed sequence difficult for some. It moves education beyond traditional school subjects into personal life choices. Please do NOT inflict this on the students in our schools.

02-11-2026

Katie Smith

OPPOSE. With all the claims of the left "indoctrinating" and "brain washing" students in schools, this bill would literally includes components to indoctrinate students by teaching that personal and financial "success" can really only by achieved through marriage (we all know it would only focus on heterosexual marriages give all the other bans and legislation currently in place) and that there are only negative impacts that result from divorce...talk about pushing an agenda. I'm in support of teaching financial literacy, increasing high school graduation rates, supporting and preparing students to find meaningful work after graduation, but this bill isn't the way to go about it. It's also lacking an mention of critically evaluating embedded systemic barriers people still face even when they take all the "right steps".

02-11-2026

Rachel Gravert

OPPOSE. Clearly the legislature does not understand how school curricula, state academic + 21st Century Skills standards, and other aspects of education work. The better parts of this bill are already taught. The rest is oversimplified and a thinly veiled indoctrination attempt as shown through where the bill includes uncited (but recognizable) faulty research from the Heritage Foundation. As a public school teacher, I have reached out many times to those who lament "why don't the schools teach X,Y, or Z" or "the teachers are indoctrinating our kids." We sincerely want backgroundchecked adults as guests and public speakers, and no one ever agrees to it. It could not be more obvious at this point that this is intended to cause excessive government entanglement with political and religious groups based on how the funding and implementation works (subsection 25B.2). This goes against Supreme Court precedent (e.g. Lemon v. Kurtzman).

02-10-2026

Heather Staton

You know what would be really great? If our representatives would start representing ALL of us instead of trying to force us to practice their religions. This bill will not help kids prepare for higher education. Instead it teaches the high school, work, marriage. Let parents help their children choose their paths. How about you all start doing your jobs instead of interfering with other peoples jobs. Disgusting overreach here. Absolutely opposed.

02-10-2026

Scott Koppmann

Separation of church and state must be maintained! This Bill does nothing to enhance the education of our students that we are trying to mold into human beings that are about betterment of our state and nation. Perhaps fund the schools better instead of wasting taxpayer money on this kind of legislation!

02-10-2026

Mandi King

Opposed. For the party of small government you all sure like getting up into family business. This legislation in NO WAY supports kids in learning how to think and choose responsibly for themselves. I know that scares you. But that is the best thing we can teach our children. Got off your religious high horse and keep schools to learning about the arts, humanities, maths, sciences, government, and how to be kind and caring humans. Vote NO on this ridiculous legislation.

02-10-2026

Larissa Boeck

OPPOSED. SSB3109 Promotes a narrow, ideologically driven view of success and family life. The "success sequence" described in this bill heavily emphasizes marriage before children as a key step which implicitly devalues single parenthood, cohabitation, nontraditional families, same sex partnerships, and people who choose not to marry or have children. The bill equates to state mandated moralizing, or shaming of certain family structures. Also worth noting that this would add yet another required topic to already crowded curricula without additional funding or training, further burdening already underfunded schools. It is not your job to set curricula. Please leave that up to professional educators. Do right by your constituents and kill this bill. It never should have been brought forward to begin with in what precious little legislative session time we have. Iowans want clean water, not this.

02-10-2026

Amy Edmonds

Opposed This bill does not have the good of our students at heart. All it does is push some kids down instead of lifting everyone up. Stop introducing this Heritage Foundation prepackaged crap and start listening to your consistents.

02-11-2026

Nancy Fett

I believe the research actually shows marriage is beneficial to males; not so much females. It inhibits their careers, they do most of the child rearing,housework and their own outside job. Allowing females to reach their full potential in their careers be for deciding to settle down gives them more options and which of course is the opposite of what this bill is trying to teach.

02-11-2026

Heather Moran

This is how you are spending Iowans tax dollars? Only increasing public education finding by 1.75% but trying to force a law that was written by the Heritage Project? Shoving outdated laws and regulations down our throats? Running young Iowans, doctors and educators out of our state? DO BETTER! REPRESENT YOUR CONSTITUENTS! STRONGLY OPPOSE!

02-11-2026

Natalie Hall

OPPOSE SSB3109 .. for many reasons but Ill limit it to two:1. Clearly this is a copy&paste legislation from Heritage Foundation. Iowans deserve better, we deserve COMPETENT legislators who write their own bills aimed at IMPROVING our lives. This is not that.2. My personal steps to success went this way: Child. Diploma. Work. Marriage. And thats okay! I am glad to be an example to young people that they dont have to fit into a box designed by people who are out of touch with reality. Dont worry, if you pass this ridiculous legislation Ill be sure to get my story out there further, Ill tell it louder, to drown out the condescension this bill creates. Vote NO.

02-11-2026

Grace Rogers

AGAINST. 1. This is clearly a regurgitation of the nationwide Heritage Foundation bill that has been pushed for years. The studies that supporters of "success sequence" cite are flawed and don't take into account things like racial disparity. Success sequence puts the blame for poverty on individuals rather than forcing the government to examine systemic solutions, such as broadening public benefits. Of course, if youre conservative, you dont want to see these benefits expanded, so you need some other narrative. So instead your narrative is, "The only reason we have poverty is because people wont follow these simple steps." Maybe try fixing the systems instead blaming individuals.

02-11-2026

Erienne Becker

This is absolutely ridiculous. Iowa leadership has been marketing "parents choices" in education and they are all clear failures for the entire state. More young families will leave our state if this legislation is approved.

02-11-2026

Maddi Sieck

OPPOSE. This is not coming from Iowans. Iowans do not want this. This is direct from the Heritage Foundation, verified by the Family Leader lobby in favor of it. The bill calls for research but never specifies the source of that research. Iowa is strongest when we teach children to be strong critical thinkers, when we teach them how to think for themselves to make informed, educated decisions this bill aims to tell children what to think. This is pushing certain moral values into the public education space, values that are not shared by all Iowans. OPPOSE. Stay in your lane.