House Study Bill 88
HOUSE FILE
BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON
EDUCATION BILL BY
CHAIRPERSON WENDT)
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 1937HC 82
5 kh/gg/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256.7, Code 2007, is amended by adding
1 2 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 to teach at the grade levels or in the
1 8 subject areas for which the teachers are employed.
1 9 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2007,
1 10 is amended to read as follows:
1 11 The state board shall adopt rules under chapter 17A and a
1 12 procedure for accrediting all public and nonpublic schools in
1 13 Iowa offering instruction at any or all levels from the
1 14 prekindergarten level through grade twelve. The rules shall
1 15 also provide that each subject area taught under the
1 16 educational program set forth in this section shall be taught
1 17 by a practitioner who holds a valid license with an
1 18 endorsement, issued in accordance with section 272.7,
1 19 authorizing the practitioner to teach at the grade levels and
1 20 in the subject areas for which the person is employed. The
1 21 rules of the state board shall require that a multicultural,
1 22 gender fair approach is used by schools and school districts.
1 23 The educational program shall be taught from a multicultural,
1 24 gender fair approach. Global perspectives shall be
1 25 incorporated into all levels of the educational program.
1 26 Sec. 3. Section 256.11, subsection 10, paragraph a, Code
1 27 2007, is amended to read as follows:
1 28 a. When either the annual monitoring or the biennial
1 29 on=site visit of phase I indicates that a school or school
1 30 district is deficient and fails to be in compliance with
1 31 accreditation standards, including the standard which requires
1 32 that a subject area taught under the educational program be
1 33 taught by a practitioner who holds a valid license with an
1 34 endorsement, issued in accordance with section 272.7,
1 35 authorizing the practitioner to teach at grade levels and in
2 1 the subject areas for which the person is employed.
2 2 Sec. 4. Section 272.2, Code 2007, is amended by adding the
2 3 following new subsections:
2 4 NEW SUBSECTION. 18. Establish and maintain, in
2 5 cooperation with the department of education, a procedure for
2 6 identifying the inappropriate assignment of instructional
2 7 duties to teachers who do not hold the proper license or
2 8 endorsement to teach at the grade levels or in the subject
2 9 areas for which the teachers are employed.
2 10 NEW SUBSECTION. 19. Establish fines that may be imposed
2 11 by the board on a practitioner who obtains a nonrenewable
2 12 license that authorizes the practitioner to teach at a grade
2 13 level or in a subject area prior to completing all of the
2 14 requirements for an endorsement in that grade level or subject
2 15 area, and who, by the license expiration date, continues to
2 16 teach at the grade level or in the subject area, yet has made
2 17 no further progress toward meeting the requirements for
2 18 endorsement.
2 19 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 279.65 DISCIPLINE AND PERSONAL
2 20 CONDUCT STANDARDS.
2 21 The board of directors of a school district shall establish
2 22 and adopt a student discipline and conduct policy designed to
2 23 promote responsible behavior on school property and at school
2 24 functions and which shall govern the conduct of students,
2 25 teachers and other school personnel, and visitors; provide
2 26 opportunities for students to exercise self=discipline and
2 27 practice cooperative classroom behavior; and encourage
2 28 students and practitioners to model fairness, equity, and
2 29 respect. The policy shall specify the responsibilities of
2 30 students, parents and guardians, and practitioners in creating
2 31 an atmosphere where all individuals feel a sense of respect,
2 32 safety, and belonging, and shall set forth the consequences
2 33 for unacceptable behavior. The policy shall be published in
2 34 the student handbook.
2 35 Sec. 6. TEACHING ASSIGNMENT VALIDATION PROCESS. The board
3 1 of educational examiners and the department of education shall
3 2 develop a process, using the information reported in the basic
3 3 educational data survey, to compare the licenses and
3 4 endorsements held by practitioners with their teaching
3 5 assignments. The board and the department shall submit a
3 6 progress report, including proposed legislation, to the senate
3 7 and house standing education committees by December 15, 2007.
3 8 Sec. 7. SCHOOL ACCREDITATION STANDARDS TASK FORCE. The
3 9 director of the department of education shall convene a school
3 10 accreditation standards task force to review and make
3 11 recommendations to update the current school accreditation
3 12 standards as specified in section 256.11. The task force
3 13 shall review the existing minimum accreditation standards and
3 14 develop recommendations that will bring the current standards
3 15 up to the standards required for the 21st century and to
3 16 prepare all students to continue their education beyond grade
3 17 twelve. The ten=member task force shall consist of the
3 18 director of the department of education or the director's
3 19 designee, the president of the state board of education or the
3 20 president's designee, the executive director of the board of
3 21 educational examiners or the executive director's designee,
3 22 the president of the state board of regents or the president's
3 23 designee, and the following members appointed by the named
3 24 entity or entities:
3 25 1. A member representing the Iowa school board
3 26 association.
3 27 2. A member representing the Iowa state education
3 28 association.
3 29 3. A member representing the school administrators of
3 30 Iowa.
3 31 4. A member representing Iowa parent teacher
3 32 organizations.
3 33 5. A member representing the area education agencies.
3 34 6. A member representing the community colleges.
3 35 The task force shall submit its findings and
4 1 recommendations in a report to the senate and house standing
4 2 education committees by December 15, 2007.
4 3 EXPLANATION
4 4 This bill is designed to improve the educational
4 5 environment for teachers and students by providing for a
4 6 process to ensure that teaching assignments go to
4 7 appropriately licensed and endorsed teachers, providing for
4 8 the establishment of fines that the board of educational
4 9 examiners may impose on teachers, directing the director of
4 10 the department of education to convene a school accreditation
4 11 standards task force, and requiring school districts to
4 12 establish, adopt, and publish a discipline and conduct policy
4 13 designed to promote responsible behavior by persons on school
4 14 property and at school functions.
4 15 INAPPROPRIATE ASSIGNMENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL DUTIES. The bill
4 16 directs both the state board of education and the board of
4 17 educational examiners to establish and maintain a procedure
4 18 for identifying the inappropriate assignment of instructional
4 19 duties to teachers who do not hold the proper license or
4 20 endorsement to teach at the grade levels and in the subject
4 21 areas for which they are employed. The bill also requires
4 22 that the state board's rules relating to the state's
4 23 educational program provide that any subject area taught must
4 24 be taught by a person employed as a practitioner who holds a
4 25 valid license with an endorsement authorizing the person to
4 26 teach at the grade level and in the subject area being taught.
4 27 Failure to meet the requirement places the school district or
4 28 accredited nonpublic school in phase II of the department's
4 29 accreditation process.
4 30 The bill also directs the board of educational examiners to
4 31 establish fines that may be imposed on practitioners who
4 32 obtain a license on the condition that the practitioner will
4 33 complete all of the requirements for endorsement by the
4 34 expiration of the license, but who fail to meet that condition
4 35 yet continue to teach at the grade level or in the subject
5 1 area.
5 2 DISCIPLINE AND PERSONAL CONDUCT STANDARDS. The bill
5 3 directs school boards to establish and adopt a student
5 4 discipline and conduct policy designed to promote responsible
5 5 behavior on school property and at school functions and which
5 6 shall govern the conduct of students, teachers and other
5 7 school personnel, and visitors. The policy must be published
5 8 in the student handbook.
5 9 TEACHING ASSIGNMENT VALIDATION PROCESS. The bill directs
5 10 the board of educational examiners and the department of
5 11 education to develop a process to compare the licenses and
5 12 endorsements held by practitioners with their teaching
5 13 assignments. The board and the department must submit a
5 14 progress report, including proposed legislation, to the senate
5 15 and house standing education committees on or by December 15,
5 16 2007.
5 17 SCHOOL ACCREDITATION STANDARDS TASK FORCE. The bill
5 18 charges the director of the department of education with
5 19 convening a task force to review and make recommendations to
5 20 update the current school accreditation standards. The 10=
5 21 member task force is directed to submit its findings and
5 22 recommendations in a report to the senate and house standing
5 23 education committees on or by December 15, 2007.
5 24 LSB 1937HC 82
5 25 kh:nh/gg/14