House File 2416 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY WENDT, SMITH, GASKILL,
REICHERT, BERRY, D. OLSON,
KUHN, WHITEAD, MURPHY,
BUKTA, WHITAKER, QUIRK,
and SCHUELLER
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to efforts to improve the educational environment
2 in the classrooms operated by Iowa's school districts.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 5571YH 81
5 kh/gg/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256.7, Code Supplement 2005, is amended
1 2 by adding the following new subsection:
1 3 NEW SUBSECTION. 27. Establish and maintain, in
1 4 cooperation with the board of educational examiners, a
1 5 procedure for identifying the inappropriate assignment of
1 6 instructional duties to teachers who do not hold the proper
1 7 license or endorsement.
1 8 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code
1 9 Supplement 2005, is amended to read as follows:
1 10 The state board shall adopt rules under chapter 17A and a
1 11 procedure for accrediting all public and nonpublic schools in
1 12 Iowa offering instruction at any or all levels from the
1 13 prekindergarten level through grade twelve. The rules of the
1 14 state board shall require that a multicultural, gender fair
1 15 approach is used by schools and school districts. The rules
1 16 shall provide that an area taught under the educational
1 17 program set forth in this section shall be taught by a person
1 18 employed as a practitioner who holds a valid license with an
1 19 endorsement, issued in accordance with section 272.7, for the
1 20 type of service for which the person is employed. The
1 21 educational program shall be taught from a multicultural,
1 22 gender fair approach. Global perspectives shall be
1 23 incorporated into all levels of the educational program.
1 24 Sec. 3. Section 256.11, subsection 10, paragraph a, Code
1 25 Supplement 2005, is amended to read as follows:
1 26 a. When either the annual monitoring or the biennial on=
1 27 site visit of phase I indicates that a school or school
1 28 district is deficient and fails to be in compliance with
1 29 accreditation standards, including the standard which requires
1 30 that an area taught under the educational program be taught by
1 31 a person employed as a practitioner who holds a valid license
1 32 with an endorsement, issued in accordance with section 272.7,
1 33 for the type of service for which the person is employed.
1 34 Sec. 4. Section 272.2, Code 2005, is amended by adding the
1 35 following new subsections:
2 1 NEW SUBSECTION. 17. Establish and maintain, in
2 2 cooperation with the department of education, a procedure for
2 3 identifying the inappropriate assignment of instructional
2 4 duties to teachers who do not hold the proper license or
2 5 endorsement.
2 6 NEW SUBSECTION. 18. Establish fines that may be imposed
2 7 by the board on a practitioner who obtains a nonrenewable
2 8 license that authorizes the practitioner to teach in a subject
2 9 area prior to completing all of the requirements for an
2 10 endorsement in that subject area, and who, by the license
2 11 expiration date, continues to teach in the subject area, yet
2 12 has made no further progress toward meeting the requirements
2 13 for endorsement.
2 14 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 279.63 DISCIPLINE AND PERSONAL
2 15 CONDUCT STANDARDS.
2 16 The board of directors of a school district shall establish
2 17 and adopt a student discipline and conduct policy designed to
2 18 promote responsible behavior on school property and at school
2 19 functions and which shall govern the conduct of students,
2 20 teachers and other school personnel, and visitors; provide
2 21 opportunities for students to exercise self=discipline and
2 22 practice cooperative classroom behavior; and encourage
2 23 students and practitioners to model fairness, equity, and
2 24 respect. The policy shall specify the responsibilities of
2 25 students, parents and guardians, and practitioners in creating
2 26 an atmosphere where all individuals feel a sense of respect,
2 27 safety, and belonging, and shall set forth the consequences
2 28 for unacceptable behavior. The policy shall be published in
2 29 the student handbook.
2 30 Sec. 6. TEACHING ASSIGNMENT VALIDATION PROCESS. The board
2 31 of educational examiners and the department of education shall
2 32 develop a process, using the information reported in the basic
2 33 educational data survey, to compare the licenses and
2 34 endorsements held by practitioners with their teaching
2 35 assignments. The board and the department shall submit a
3 1 progress report, including proposed legislation, to the senate
3 2 and house standing education committees by December 15, 2006.
3 3 Sec. 7. SCHOOL ACCREDITATION STANDARDS TASK FORCE. The
3 4 director of the department of education shall convene a school
3 5 accreditation standards task force to review and make
3 6 recommendations to update the current school accreditation
3 7 standards as specified in section 256.11. The task force
3 8 shall review the existing minimum accreditation standards and
3 9 develop recommendations that will bring the current standards
3 10 up to the standards required for the 21st century and to
3 11 prepare all students to continue their education beyond grade
3 12 twelve. The ten=member task force shall consist of the
3 13 director of the department of education or the director's
3 14 designee, the president of the state board of education or the
3 15 president's designee, the executive director of the board of
3 16 educational examiners or the executive director's designee,
3 17 the president of the state board of regents or the president's
3 18 designee, and the following members appointed by the named
3 19 entity or entities:
3 20 1. A member representing the Iowa school board
3 21 association.
3 22 2. A member representing the Iowa state education
3 23 association.
3 24 3. A member representing the school administrators of
3 25 Iowa.
3 26 4. A member representing Iowa parent teacher
3 27 organizations.
3 28 5. A member representing the area education agencies.
3 29 6. A member representing the community colleges.
3 30 The task force shall submit its findings and
3 31 recommendations in a report to the senate and house standing
3 32 education committees by December 15, 2006.
3 33 EXPLANATION
3 34 This bill is designed to improve the educational
3 35 environment for teachers and students by providing for a
4 1 process to ensure that teaching assignments go to
4 2 appropriately licensed and endorsed teachers, providing for
4 3 the establishment of fines that the board of educational
4 4 examiners may impose on teachers, directing the director of
4 5 the department of education to convene a school accreditation
4 6 standards task force, and requiring school districts to
4 7 establish, adopt, and publish a discipline and conduct policy
4 8 designed to promote responsible behavior by persons on school
4 9 property and at school functions.
4 10 INAPPROPRIATE ASSIGNMENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL DUTIES. The bill
4 11 directs both the state board of education and the board of
4 12 educational examiners to establish and maintain a procedure
4 13 for identifying the inappropriate assignment of instructional
4 14 duties to teachers who do not hold the proper license or
4 15 endorsement. The bill also requires that the state board's
4 16 rules relating to the state's educational program provide that
4 17 any area taught must be taught by a person employed as a
4 18 practitioner who holds a valid license with an endorsement for
4 19 the area being taught. Failure to meet the requirement places
4 20 the school district or accredited nonpublic school in phase II
4 21 of the department's accreditation process.
4 22 The bill also directs the board of educational examiners to
4 23 establish fines that may be imposed on practitioners who
4 24 obtain a license on the condition that the practitioner
4 25 complete all of the requirements for endorsement by the
4 26 expiration of the license, but who fail to meet that condition
4 27 yet continue to teach in the subject area.
4 28 DISCIPLINE AND PERSONAL CONDUCT STANDARDS. The bill
4 29 directs school boards to establish and adopt a student
4 30 discipline and conduct policy designed to promote responsible
4 31 behavior on school property and at school functions and which
4 32 shall govern the conduct of students, teachers and other
4 33 school personnel, and visitors. The policy must be published
4 34 in the student handbook.
4 35 TEACHING ASSIGNMENT VALIDATION PROCESS. The bill directs
5 1 the board of educational examiners and the department of
5 2 education to develop a process to compare the licenses and
5 3 endorsements held by practitioners with their teaching
5 4 assignments. The board and the department must submit a
5 5 progress report, including proposed legislation, to the senate
5 6 and house standing education committees on or by December 15,
5 7 2006.
5 8 SCHOOL ACCREDITATION STANDARDS TASK FORCE. The bill
5 9 charges the director of the department of education with
5 10 convening a task force to review and make recommendations to
5 11 update the current school accreditation standards. The ten=
5 12 member task force is directed to submit its findings and
5 13 recommendations in a report to the senate and house standing
5 14 education committees on or by December 15, 2006.
5 15 LSB 5571YH 81
5 16 kh:nh/gg/14