House File 2577 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2577 BY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2499) (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 706) A BILL FOR An Act relating to education, including requiring the boards of 1 directors of school districts and the governing boards of 2 charter schools to publish certain specified information, 3 modifying provisions related to required social studies 4 instruction, and providing civil penalties. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh

H.F. 2577 DIVISION I 1 SCHOOL DISTRICT AND CHARTER SCHOOL TRANSPARENCY 2 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsection 10, paragraph c, 3 subparagraph (2), unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2022, is amended 4 to read as follows: 5 If, after having an opportunity to correct, if permitted, a 6 school district is found to be in noncompliance with federal 7 education laws including but not limited to the federal 8 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the federal 9 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §1400 et 10 seq., as amended, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, chapter 11 216 , section 279.73 , or section 279.74 , or section 279.76, 12 the director shall recommend, and the state board may shall 13 do, one of the following within thirty days of the finding 14 of noncompliance , or within fourteen days if the finding of 15 noncompliance is for a violation of section 279.76 : 16 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 17 following new subsection: 18 NEW SUBSECTION . 19. a. If the department finds a school 19 district is not in compliance with section 279.76, the 20 department shall provide notice to the board of directors 21 of the school district indicating the school district’s 22 noncompliance. The department shall allow the board of 23 directors of the school district at least fourteen days 24 after receipt of the notice of noncompliance to correct the 25 violation prior to taking any enforcement action pursuant to 26 subsection 10, paragraph “c” . In addition to any enforcement 27 action taken pursuant to subsection 10, paragraph “c” , if the 28 board of directors of the school district fails to correct the 29 violation within fourteen days after receipt of the notice of 30 noncompliance, the department shall assess a civil penalty 31 against the school district in an amount not less than five 32 hundred dollars and not more than five thousand dollars. 33 Revenue from the civil penalty provided in this paragraph 34 shall be remitted to the treasurer of state for deposit in the 35 -1- LSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh 1/ 9

H.F. 2577 general fund of the state. 1 b. The department shall provide notice to the board of 2 educational examiners indicating the identity of any individual 3 licensed under chapter 272 who violates section 279.76. 4 Sec. 3. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, Code 2022, is amended 5 by adding the following new paragraph: 6 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0i. Be subject to and comply with the 7 requirements of sections 279.76 and 279.77 in the same manner 8 as a school district. 9 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 279.76 Transparency and state 10 standards. 11 1. The board of directors of a school district shall adopt 12 a policy describing the procedures for the parent or guardian 13 of a student enrolled in the school district to review the 14 instructional materials used in the student’s classroom. 15 The policy shall include a process for the student’s parent 16 or guardian to request that the student not be provided 17 with certain instructional materials. The policy shall be 18 prominently displayed on the school district’s internet site 19 and the board of directors of the school district shall, at 20 least annually, provide a written or electronic copy of the 21 policy to the parent or guardian of each student enrolled 22 in the school district. For purposes of this section, 23 “instructional materials” means either printed or electronic 24 textbooks and related core materials that are written and 25 published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary 26 school instruction and are required by a state educational 27 agency or local educational agency for use by students in the 28 student’s classes by the teacher of record. 29 2. The school district shall provide the parent or guardian 30 of a student enrolled in the school district with all of the 31 following information related to the current school year: 32 a. A course syllabus or written summary of the material that 33 will be taught in the student’s classes. 34 b. How the student’s classes meet or exceed the educational 35 -2- LSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh 2/ 9

H.F. 2577 standards established pursuant to section 256.11. 1 c. A list of all instructional materials that will be used 2 in the student’s classes. 3 3. The school district may satisfy the requirements of 4 subsection 2 by providing the parent or guardian of a student 5 enrolled in the school district with an option to view the 6 materials described in subsection 2 electronically or by 7 providing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in 8 the school district with view-only access to the materials 9 described in subsection 2 on the classroom management software 10 platform used by the school district. By July 1, 2024, the 11 school district shall satisfy the requirements of subsection 12 2 by providing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled 13 in the school district with view-only access to the materials 14 described in subsection 2 on the classroom management software 15 platform used by the school district. 16 4. If the materials described in subsection 2 are modified 17 during the school year, the school district shall update the 18 information maintained under subsection 3 within seven days 19 after the modification occurs to reflect the use of the new 20 materials. 21 5. The school district shall make available to the parent 22 or guardian of a student enrolled in the school district a 23 comprehensive list of all books available to students in 24 libraries operated by the school district by providing a link 25 on the school district’s internet site to the electronic 26 catalog of the books available in the libraries operated by the 27 school district. However, for school years beginning prior to 28 July 1, 2025, if the school district does not use an electronic 29 catalog, the school district may request a waiver from this 30 requirement from the department of education. 31 6. The school district shall provide instructions on the 32 school district’s internet site showing the procedures or 33 policies in effect for the parent or guardian of a student 34 enrolled in the school district to request the reconsideration 35 -3- LSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh 3/ 9

H.F. 2577 or removal of a book that is available to students in a library 1 operated by the school district. The school district shall 2 display the form for requesting reconsideration or removal of a 3 book prominently on the school district’s internet site. 4 7. The board of directors of a school district shall provide 5 instructions related to how to access the information described 6 in subsections 2, 3, and 5 in a notice to the parent or guardian 7 of each student enrolled in the school district prior to the 8 start of each school year. 9 8. The school district shall publish on the school 10 district’s internet site information related to the training 11 and professional development courses and programs offered by 12 the school district in which employees of the school district 13 have participated during the current school year. 14 9. This section shall not be construed to require the school 15 district to do any of the following: 16 a. Reproduce educational materials that were not created 17 by a teacher employed by the board of directors of the school 18 district. 19 b. Distribute any educational materials in a manner that 20 would infringe on the intellectual property rights of any 21 person. 22 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION . 279.77 Protocols for the selection, 23 review, reconsideration, and removal of materials from libraries. 24 The board of directors of a school district shall adopt 25 protocols for the selection, review, reconsideration, and 26 removal of materials from libraries operated by the school 27 district. The protocols shall require all of the following: 28 1. A process for the selection, reconsideration, and 29 removal of materials from libraries operated by the school 30 district. 31 2. A process for a parent or guardian of a student enrolled 32 in the school district to request that specific library 33 materials not be checked out by the student. 34 3. The lawful and ethical use of information resources, 35 -4- LSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh 4/ 9

H.F. 2577 including regarding plagiarism and intellectual property 1 rights. 2 4. A process that allows the parent or guardian of a student 3 enrolled in the school district to request the reconsideration 4 or removal of materials from a library operated by the school 5 district. The process shall be prominently displayed on the 6 school district’s internet site and shall require all of the 7 following: 8 a. Within fifteen business days after a parent’s or 9 guardian’s submission of a request to reconsider or remove 10 materials from a library operated by the school district, or on 11 or before a later date if the school district and the parent or 12 guardian agree in writing, the school district shall conduct 13 a review of the materials described in the request and make a 14 recommendation to the board of directors of the school district 15 regarding the materials described in the request. The school 16 district shall notify the parent or guardian in writing of the 17 school district’s recommendation to the board of directors of 18 the school district. 19 b. The board of directors of the school district shall 20 act on the recommendation described in paragraph “a” at the 21 next regularly scheduled meeting of the board of directors but 22 no later than thirty business days after the recommendation 23 is received, or on or before a later date if the board of 24 directors of the school district and the parent or guardian 25 agree in writing. The board of directors of the school 26 district shall notify the parent or guardian in writing 27 of its decision to affirm or reverse the school district’s 28 recommendation. 29 c. The parent or guardian may appeal the decision of the 30 board of directors of the school district under paragraph “b” to 31 the state board of education pursuant to section 290.1. 32 d. If the school district or the board of directors of 33 the school district fails to act on a parent’s or guardian’s 34 request to reconsider or remove materials from a library 35 -5- LSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh 5/ 9

H.F. 2577 operated by the school district within the timeline provided 1 in this section, the parent or guardian may appeal the school 2 district’s or the board of directors of the school district’s 3 failure to act to the state board of education. The state 4 board of education shall direct the school district or the 5 board of directors of the school district to perform the review 6 as prescribed. 7 Sec. 6. PROCEDURE FOR THE RECONSIDERATION OR REMOVAL OF A 8 BOOK FROM A SCHOOL LIBRARY. The board of directors of a school 9 district shall create a document that illustrates the procedure 10 for the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school 11 district to request the reconsideration or removal of a book 12 that is available to students in a library operated by the 13 school district as required by section 279.77, as enacted by 14 this division of this Act. 15 DIVISION II 16 SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION 17 Sec. 7. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph b, Code 18 2022, is amended to read as follows: 19 b. (1) Five units of the social studies including 20 instruction in voting statutes and procedures, voter 21 registration requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting 22 systems in the election process, and the method of acquiring 23 and casting an absentee ballot. All students shall complete a 24 minimum of one-half unit of United States government and one 25 unit of United States history. 26 (2) The one-half unit of United States government shall 27 include the all of the following: 28 (a) The voting procedure as described in this lettered 29 paragraph and section 280.9A . The government instruction shall 30 also include a 31 (b) A study of the Constitution of the United States and the 32 Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution and an assessment 33 of a student’s knowledge of the Constitution and the Bill of 34 Rights. 35 -6- LSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh 6/ 9

H.F. 2577 (c) An assessment of the student’s knowledge of United 1 States government and civics that includes the nature, 2 purpose, structure, function, and history of the United States 3 government, the rights and responsibilities of citizens of 4 the United States, and important United States government and 5 civic leaders. The most recent version of the civics test 6 developed by the United States citizenship and immigration 7 services shall be used as the assessment required by this 8 subparagraph division. On or before June 30 of each year, each 9 school district and nonpublic school shall submit the results 10 of the assessment required by this subparagraph division to the 11 department. 12 EXPLANATION 13 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 14 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 15 This bill relates to education, including requiring the 16 boards of directors of school districts and the governing 17 boards of charter schools to publish certain specified 18 information and modifying provisions related to required social 19 studies instruction. 20 DIVISION I —— SCHOOL DISTRICT AND CHARTER SCHOOL 21 TRANSPARENCY. The bill creates new Code section 279.76, which 22 requires the board of directors of a school district to adopt 23 a policy describing the procedures for a parent or guardian 24 of a student enrolled in the school district to review the 25 instructional materials used in the student’s classroom. The 26 bill establishes what the policy is required to include and how 27 the policy is to be provided to parents and guardians. 28 New Code section 279.76 requires a school district to 29 provide parents and guardians with a course syllabus or written 30 summary of material that will be taught in the student’s 31 classes, how the classes meet or exceed the state’s educational 32 standards, and a list of all instructional materials that 33 will be used in the student’s classes. The bill establishes 34 requirements related to notifying parents and guardians of 35 -7- LSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh 7/ 9

H.F. 2577 updates to these materials. 1 New Code section 279.76 requires a school district to 2 make available to parents and guardians a list of all books 3 available to students in libraries operated by the school 4 district. The bill establishes how a school district is to 5 make this list available. 6 New Code section 279.76 requires a school district to 7 provide instructions on the school district’s internet site 8 showing the procedures or policies in effect for parents and 9 guardians to request the reconsideration or removal of a book 10 that is in a library operated by the school district. 11 New Code section 279.76 requires a school district to 12 publish information related to the training and professional 13 development offered by the school district in which employees 14 of the school district have participated. 15 The bill provides that the requirements of new Code section 16 279.76 apply to charter schools established pursuant to Code 17 chapter 256E. 18 Current Code section 256.11(10) requires the state board 19 of education to establish an accreditation, monitoring, 20 and enforcement process for school districts. The bill 21 provides that compliance with new Code section 279.76 shall 22 be considered as part of that process. The bill authorizes 23 the department of education to assess a civil penalty against 24 a school district if the department finds that the school 25 district is in violation of new Code section 279.76, and the 26 school district does not correct the violation within the 27 timelines established in the bill. 28 The bill creates new Code section 279.77, which requires 29 the board of directors of a school district to adopt protocols 30 for the selection, review, reconsideration, and removal of 31 materials from libraries operated by the school district. The 32 bill establishes what the protocols are to require. The bill 33 requires the board of directors of a school district to create 34 a document that illustrates the procedure for a parent or 35 -8- LSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh 8/ 9

H.F. 2577 guardian to request the reconsideration or removal of a book 1 that is in a library operated by the school district. The bill 2 provides that the requirements of new Code section 279.77 apply 3 to charter schools established pursuant to Code chapter 256E. 4 DIVISION II —— SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION. Under current 5 law, the educational program established pursuant to Code 6 section 256.11 is required to include, in grades 9 through 12, 7 five units of social studies, one-half unit of which is to 8 consist of instruction in United States government. The bill 9 provides that this one-half unit of United States government 10 shall include an assessment of the student’s knowledge of 11 United States government and civics. The bill provides that 12 the most recent version of the civics test developed by the 13 United States citizenship and immigration services shall be 14 used as the assessment. The bill requires each school district 15 and accredited nonpublic school to submit the results of the 16 civics test to the department of education by June 30 of each 17 year. 18 -9- LSB 6167HZ (2) 89 jda/jh 9/ 9