House File 6
HOUSE FILE
BY WISE, MASCHER, BUKTA, MYERS,
D. OLSON, FORD, MILLER, STEVENS,
LENSING, WINCKLER, COHOON,
MERTZ, WENDT, FREVERT, BERRY,
GASKILL, JOCHUM, SWAIM, CHIODO,
CONNORS, KUHN, GREIMANN,
FOEGE, OSTERHAUS, STRUYK,
REASONER, SMITH, MURPHY, OLDSON,
WHITEAD, LYKAM, THOMAS, and
QUIRK
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to character education, service learning, and the
2 educational program, and providing for related matters.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 1395HH 80
5 kh/pj/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256.9, Code 2003, is amended by adding
1 2 the following new subsection:
1 3 NEW SUBSECTION. 52. Develop and maintain an internet site
1 4 outlining exceptional character education and service learning
1 5 programs. The department and the area education agencies
1 6 shall collaborate to develop and provide in=service and
1 7 preservice training programs through the area education
1 8 agencies and practitioner preparation institutions for the
1 9 establishment of character education and service learning
1 10 programs in school districts and accredited nonpublic schools.
1 11 The department shall also collaborate with nonprofit
1 12 organizations that promote character education and with the
1 13 business community to recognize schools with exemplary
1 14 character education and service learning programs.
1 15 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2003,
1 16 is amended to read as follows:
1 17 The state board shall adopt rules under chapter 17A and a
1 18 procedure for accrediting all public and nonpublic schools in
1 19 Iowa offering instruction at any or all levels from the
1 20 prekindergarten level through grade twelve. The rules of the
1 21 state board shall require that a multicultural, gender fair
1 22 approach is used by schools and school districts. The
1 23 educational program shall be taught from a multicultural,
1 24 gender fair approach. Global perspectives and character
1 25 education shall be incorporated into all levels of the
1 26 educational program.
1 27 Sec. 3. Section 256.11, subsection 5, Code 2003, is
1 28 amended by adding the following new paragraph:
1 29 NEW PARAGRAPH. k. Participation in service learning
1 30 projects. The board of directors of a school district or the
1 31 authorities in charge of a nonpublic school may require a
1 32 certain number of service learning units as a condition of
1 33 graduation from the district or school. For purposes of this
1 34 paragraph, "service learning" means the purposeful and
1 35 seamless integration of academic content, skills, and civic
2 1 values with service to the community into the curriculum.
2 2 Sec. 4. Section 280.12, subsection 2, Code 2003, is
2 3 amended by adding the following new paragraph:
2 4 NEW PARAGRAPH. f. Core character education values that
2 5 will assist students to develop socially, ethically, and
2 6 academically.
2 7 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 280.28 CHARACTER EDUCATION.
2 8 1. The board of directors of each public school district
2 9 and the authorities in charge of each nonpublic school shall
2 10 establish a character education plan for incorporating
2 11 character education into its educational program. The plan
2 12 shall include the core character education values developed by
2 13 the school improvement advisory committee appointed by the
2 14 board or the authorities pursuant to section 280.12.
2 15 2. The board and the authorities shall include the
2 16 character education plan, and any subsequent changes to a
2 17 plan, in the school district or school's comprehensive school
2 18 improvement plan submitted pursuant to section 256.7,
2 19 subsection 21.
2 20 3. The plan shall include performance measures and
2 21 performance goals. Public school districts and nonpublic
2 22 schools shall utilize the performance measures and performance
2 23 targets to annually assess the effectiveness of the plan, and
2 24 shall report districtwide and schoolwide progress made in
2 25 attaining character education performance goals and the effect
2 26 on school climate to the department of education and to the
2 27 local community. The report to the local community shall
2 28 include results and evaluation by individual attendance
2 29 center.
2 30 Sec. 6. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
2 31 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
2 32 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
2 33 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
2 34 received by the school district under section 257.16. This
2 35 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
3 1 to meet all the state funding=related requirements of section
3 2 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be
3 3 necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and
3 4 enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts.
3 5 EXPLANATION
3 6 This bill requires school districts and accredited
3 7 nonpublic schools to incorporate character education in their
3 8 educational programs and requires that educational programs
3 9 for students in grades 9 through 12 include participation in
3 10 service learning projects. The bill permits districts and
3 11 nonpublic schools to require a certain number of service
3 12 learning units as a condition of high school graduation.
3 13 The bill requires school districts and accredited nonpublic
3 14 schools to establish character education plans, which must
3 15 include performance measures, performance goals, and core
3 16 character education values developed by existing school
3 17 improvement advisory committees composed of practitioners,
3 18 students, and members of the local community.
3 19 Plans must be annually assessed for effectiveness and
3 20 effect on school climate and submitted to the department and
3 21 the local community.
3 22 The bill requires the director of the department of
3 23 education to develop and maintain an internet site outlining
3 24 exceptional character education and service learning programs.
3 25 The bill also directs that the department and the area
3 26 education agencies (AEAs) collaborate to develop and provide
3 27 in=service and preservice training programs through the AEAs
3 28 and practitioner preparation institutions for the
3 29 establishment of character education and service learning
3 30 programs. The department is further directed to collaborate
3 31 with nonprofit organizations and the business community to
3 32 recognize schools with exemplary character education and
3 33 service learning programs.
3 34 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
3 35 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any
4 1 state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
4 2 district from state school foundation aid received by the
4 3 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification
4 4 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state
4 5 mandate funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2.
4 6 The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate
4 7 the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any
4 8 state mandates included in the bill.
4 9 LSB 1395HH 80
4 10 kh/pj/5