Meeting Public Comments

Subcommittee meeting and times are as follows:

A bill for an act relating to children and students, including establishing a parent’s or guardian’s right to make decisions affecting the parent’s or guardian’s child, authorizing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school district to enroll the student in another attendance center within the same school district in certain specified circumstances, prohibiting instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation in school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools in kindergarten through grade six, and modifying provisions related to student health screenings, school district library programs, the educational program provided to students enrolled in school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and charter schools, other duties of school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, the department of education, the board of educational examiners, and the governing boards of charter schools and innovation zone schools, competent private instruction, and special education, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly SSB 1145.) Effective date: 05/26/2023, 07/01/2023.

Subcommittee members: Wheeler-CH, Boden, Cahill, Holt, Matson

Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Time: 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

Location: RM 19

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

Comments Submitted:

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03-28-2023

Matt Beienburg [Goldwater Institute]

Chairman Wheeler and Members of the House Education Subcommittee on SF496:SF496 offers a historic opportunity to strengthen parental rights in Iowa, but the legislations intent to provide greater transparency in schools could be furthered by adding two key provisions:1) Restore the transparency provision that ensures public schools disclose online a listing of the materials used for student instruction. 2) Fix the definition of instructional materials in the transparency section (Section 14: 279.77), which currently allows schools to hide materials even from parents who specifically ask to review them. As originally proposed by Gov. Reynolds (under SSB1145 and HSB222), SF496 would have ensured full transparency in Iowa public schools by requiring districts to disclose online a listing of the actual materials used in the classroom. Unfortunately, this provision was omitted when a strikeeverything rewrite was adopted to amend the bill in the Senate. This subcommittee already once approved the Governors robust online curriculum transparency provisions in HSB222, and the full Iowa House approved similar online transparency provisions last session via HF2577.While a state fiscal note suggested this approach would require extra time from teachers, school administrators and teachers across the country have already testified that content can be listed online using simple free resources like Google Docs and actually save teachers time compared to the hours they typically spend weekly scouring the internet for resources to use in the classroomby helping them see what their most effective peers are already using and listing online.Including the following language in the legislation would require minimal additional effort on behalf of any school staff beyond what is already performed when preparing weekly instruction:A list of all instructional materials used to teach students in each class in the school district, organized by subject area, grade level, and teacher. Materials should be listed prior to or within ten school days of first use and may be listed in any publicly available format selected by the district, including via collaborative online document or spreadsheet software or an online learning management system. Sincerely,Matt BeienburgDirector of Education PolicyGoldwater Institute

Attachment

03-28-2023

Anita Fischer [Protect My Innocence ]

I ask that you please address the lack of transparency loophole in the language of this bill that would allow teachers to personally decide to show or give access to students materials that havent been officially sanctioned by the district or published specifically for school instruction. Thank you

03-28-2023

Mary Jobst []

Iowa children, parents, grandparents, and responsible school administrators and teachers are counting on you to get this bill fine tuned concerning transparency as suggested, and moved through the process to become law. Thank you,

03-29-2023

Heather Stancil []

There is some language that will need to be changed in order to ensure that it does not undo the historic intent and purpose of this bill.1) Section 19 Definition of age appropriate: due to the use of different verbs in first sentence vs. second sentence, the intention to use 702.17 to exclude certain books could actually be twisted to include them under the definition of ageappropriate2) Section 14 Transparency: Original language: A list of all materials that will be used to teach students in each class to anyone posted to the website New language: A policy must be made & posted to the website as to how only parents can review instructional materials in the classroom but only those approved by the district or state agency *** This change not only removes the public posting requirement but will prevent any taxpayer from requesting this information due to the language restricting this right to only parents/guardians, which violates Open Records law. It also limits disclosure of only those materials required by the state or state educational agency, and thus gives the schools the ability to hide all other classroom materials from parents, again violating Open Records law. Original language: a comprehensive list of all books in the classroom and libraries must be made publicly available on the website New language: a comprehensive list of all books in the libraries must be made available to parent or guardian via a link *** This change reduces transparency by limiting public oversight to only library materials, rather than both classroom & library materials. It also potentially violates Open Records law by limiting access to this link only to parents/guardians3) Regular updates to online posting of classroom materials has been stricken4) Library materials review committee has been stricken, along with the requirement that no minor shall serve on it if materials being reviewed contain potentially obscene material.5) Addition of new library materials are to be reviewed by board has been stricken; board will no longer provide oversight to ensure obscene materials are not in the library 6) Regular review of library materials has been stricken7) Posting of materials that have been removed by the school has been strickenPlease correct the above to return the bill to its original intent. Also attaching this comment as a more clear word document. Thank you.

Attachment

03-29-2023

Anita Hoch []

The changes that have been made to SF496 has brought to my concern of the lack of transparency of the materials that are planned for the teaching of our children. All parents, school boards should be available to be reviewed before allowed to be placed in our schools. please correct this and make sure that all subjects books and other educational materials will be available to parents school boards and to public knowledge. The school works for us and in matters of gender identity and sexual orientation should not be placed upon our children. Parents have free will and choice to teach this at home if they choose . It is the responsibility of the school to teach reading writing and math.

03-29-2023

Steve Corey []

Good Morning Chairman Wheeler and member of the House Education Committee. After reading Matt Reienburgs comments there is little more that I can add, as he is spot on. Please put the teeth back into this bill. SF496 is critical to full disclosure about what is being offered to our children in our educational institutions. Parents must know with complete clarity what is being taught to their children.

03-29-2023

Julie Zaugg []

As with any long bill, there are strong and week sections to this. For those who are asking you to reinstate a section requiring ALL materials that will be used in class to be posted at the start of the school year or quarterly, I would like you to try to project a list of all sources of information you will need to do your job for the next nine weeks. It is nearly impossible. The nonpartisan Iowa Legislative Services Agency projects it would cost up to $6.2 million to fulfill the requirements in this bill, with most of that going toward software and teacher overtime to list all these sources. Last year, Representative Stone and the education committee estimated that 85% of schools already use GoogleClassroom, where assignments and materials needed to complete them are listed. Any parent can already check there by simply using their students password. Last year they changed the wording of this section to make the bill workable and affordable. Removing that section was not an "oversight".Regarding the section on using names found on a birth certificate, according to the wording in this bill every Thomas, Richard or Harold would need a parent's written permission to be called Tom, Dick or Harry. I am sure that is not the intention, so this should be fine tuned to reflect what it really means.The section on social studies curriculum is redundant. Every item listed is already required by the Department of Education's standards. Pertaining to the citizenship test, what purpose does it serve? The vast majority of our students are already citizens. They will be taking tests and completing projects to earn a passing grade in government class; they don't need this.This bill still needs work and should be amended in the subcommittee before being advanced.

03-29-2023

Rick Phillips [Protect My Innocence]

Chairman Wheeler, there needs 5o be more teeth in this bill. If a parent is accused of sexual abuse a child is questioned in the presence of a sheriff's deputy and parent. If a child reveals what a parent allegedly did then that parent is arrested and taken to jail on the spot. There is no written warning. There is no verbal reprimand. It is do not pass go or collect $200 dollars. It is arrested and go straight to jail. It is clear that this Woke ideology has infiltrated our schools and is grooming children with their gender identity nonsense. This has nothing to do with educating but has everything to do with child sexual abuse, a criminal act. If lascivious acts and 2nd degree sexual abuse charges are good enough for parents and guardians, then it should at least be equally administered to school administrators and faculty. I would even assert it should be double, like fines double for committing offenses in a road construction zone. Committing offenses in schools to innocent children by persons we should be able to trust is far more heinous and life altering than something done in a road construction zone. Thank you for your exemplary work during this session Chairman Wheeler. You are appreciated more than you know!

03-29-2023

Harry Ehrlich []

I concur with Matt BeienburgsGoldwater Institute comments and other suggested comments on the need to amend the language of this bill to add clarity to several sections regarding transparency of instructional materials and processes to be required of school administrators and teachers. Several prior amendments from the Senate should be reconsidered. Thank you from the heart for considering and moving this bill forward!