Senate Study Bill 1165 - Introduced SENATE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON SINCLAIR) A BILL FOR An Act relating to requirements school districts and accredited 1 nonpublic schools must meet to provide distance learning 2 classes that meet the requirements of Iowa’s education 3 program. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 2208XC (5) 88 kh/jh

S.F. _____ Section 1. Section 256.42, subsection 7, paragraph c, Code 1 2019, is amended to read as follows: 2 c. Any specified subject course to which If the provisions 3 of section 256.11, subsection 5 , does not apply under are 4 made inapplicable under paragraph “a” , or are waived under 5 paragraph “b” shall , the specified subject may be provided 6 by the initiative if the initiative offers the course unless 7 the course offered by the initiative lacks the capacity to 8 accommodate additional students. In that case, the specified 9 subject course may instead be provided or by the school 10 district or accredited nonpublic school if . Any course 11 not required under section 256.11, subsection 5, may also 12 be provided by the initiative or by the school district or 13 accredited nonpublic school. However, in either case, if 14 offered by the school district or accredited nonpublic school, 15 the specified subject or course shall be offered through either 16 of the following applies means : 17 (1) Through an An online learning platform if the course is 18 developed by the school district or accredited nonpublic school 19 itself, provided the course is taught by an Iowa licensed 20 teacher with online learning experience and the course content 21 is aligned with the Iowa content standards and satisfies the 22 requirements of subsection 6 . 23 (2) Through a A private provider utilized to provide the 24 course that meets the standards of section 256.42 and is 25 approved in accordance with section 256.9, subsection 55 . 26 EXPLANATION 27 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 28 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 29 This bill permits school districts and accredited nonpublic 30 schools to offer distance learning courses to meet the state’s 31 educational program “offer and teach” course requirements at 32 the high school level by utilizing Iowa learning online (ILO) 33 through the department of education, or by offering such a 34 course through an online platform if the course is developed 35 -1- LSB 2208XC (5) 88 kh/jh 1/ 2

S.F. _____ by the school district or school itself, or by offering such 1 a course through a private provider that meets standards 2 specified under Code section 256.42 and is approved by the 3 director of the department. 4 Currently, statute provides that the educational program 5 requirements for certain courses at the high school level 6 shall not apply or may be waived by the department if a school 7 district or accredited nonpublic school is unable to employ 8 an appropriately licensed teacher for the specified course, 9 or too few students typically enroll in the specified course, 10 or the school district or school proved to the department’s 11 satisfaction that the school district or school has made 12 every reasonable effort to meet Iowa’s educational program 13 requirements for the specified course. However, the specified 14 course must be provided by the ILO unless the ILO lacks the 15 capacity, in which case the school district or school can offer 16 the course through an online platform or through a private 17 provider that meets certain standards. 18 The bill strikes the requirement that ILO provide the 19 course, and instead gives school districts and schools the 20 option of using ILO or an online platform or a private provider 21 to provide the specified subject or any other course that is 22 not required under the state’s education standards. 23 -2- LSB 2208XC (5) 88 kh/jh 2/ 2