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Permanent LinkMeeting Public Comments
Subcommittee meeting and times are as follows:
A bill for an act requiring the boards of directors of school districts to allow certain youth-oriented community organizations reasonable access to school property.
Subcommittee members: Johnson, C.-CH, Henderson, Levin
Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM
Location: House Lounge 2
Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.
Comments Submitted:
02-16-2026
Stacy Volmer
I strongly oppose House File 2187. This bill strips local control from elected school boards and forces districts to grant access to outside organizations regardless of whether families or administrators believe their presence is appropriate for their community.Our public schools exist to educate children, not to serve as mandatory recruiting grounds for outside groups. School boards already have the authority to approve community use of facilities. This legislation replaces local discretion with a state mandate, opening the door to pressure, disruption, and potential inequities in access.Even with guardrails about instructional time, this bill compels districts to allow distribution of materials and access to school events, placing additional burdens on administrators and creating confusion about endorsement. Parents, not politicians, should decide which organizations their children engage with.Protect local control and school focus. Vote NO!
02-16-2026
April Ament
Opposed.
02-16-2026
April Ament
Opposed.
02-16-2026
Janice Budzine
Oppose! Schools should have priority to use if school facilities without worrying about availability and strangers being in the schools
02-16-2026
Gretchen Eastman
Opposed. This is a bill designed to make schools let LifeWise Academy into their building. Schools have boards and administrators that can make decisions for their school communities. Quit whittling away at local control.
02-16-2026
Grace Rogers
OPPOSED. Please vote NO on HF 2187. This is a thinly veiled attempt at letting nationally run religious organizations, like Lifewise and TPUSA, use public school resources/facilities for their meetings and indoctrination.
02-16-2026
Amy Cook
I oppose this bill. This should be the decision of our local officials with the needs of our students receiving first priority.
02-16-2026
Kelli Hunter
Oppose
02-16-2026
Jessica Patterson
I oppose HF2187 because it reduces local control by school boards over access to school property. School boards are elected to make choices based on community needs and student safety; this bill mandates access for specific organizations without sufficient safeguards or criteria. Giving outside groups expanded guaranteed access could expose students to unvetted programming and create logistical burdens for already stretched district staff. Local boards accountable to their communities should retain authority to set appropriate access policies tailored to their students and families.
02-16-2026
Cara Stone
Lifelong Iowa citizen writing in opposition of this proposed legislation.
02-16-2026
Kris Richey
I am opposed to this bill.
02-16-2026
Carol Tjaden
Opposed! Why do I getting the feeling this would open the door to religious groups, such as Lifewise, or is that the point?
02-17-2026
Paula Thome
Opposed
02-17-2026
David Anderson
This bill creates a special category of organization that school boards "shall" (instead of "may") allow access to schools, and then adds some language to protect students from those organizations. Seems to me that it would be easier to let school boards judge their local conditions and skip this bill entirely. Vote No on HF 2187.
02-17-2026
David Anderson
This bill creates a special category of organization that school boards "shall" (instead of "may") allow access to schools, and then adds some language to protect students from those organizations. Seems to me that it would be easier to let school boards judge their local conditions and skip this bill entirely. Vote No on HF 2187.