SSB 3079 (LSB 5486XC (3) 89)

SENATE FILE _____ 

BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON SINCLAIR)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the rights of parents and guardians of students enrolled in school districts.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  279.76  Parent or guardian bill of rights.
   1.  All of the following parental rights are reserved to the parent or guardian of a minor child without obstruction or interference from the board of directors of the school district in which the minor child is enrolled:
   a.  The right to know what the board of directors of the school district in which the minor child is enrolled is teaching the minor child, including the textbooks, books, articles, outlines, handouts, presentations, videos, and any other similar materials the board of directors of the school district uses for student instruction.
   b.  The right to access and review information related to who is teaching the minor child, including guest lecturers and outside presenters.
   c.  The right to access and review information related to persons who contract with or otherwise receive moneys from the board of directors of the school district.
   d.  The right to reasonable access to the minor child while the minor child is in school to ensure the minor child’s health and safety, unless otherwise prohibited by law.
   e.  The right to access and review all school records relating to the minor child.
   f.  The right to access and review information related to the collection and transmission of information related to the minor child, including assessment information, documents created by the minor child, and teacher evaluations of the minor child.
   g.  Subject to section 22.7, the right to access and review information necessary to ensure the accountability and transparency of the board of directors of the school district in which the minor child is enrolled.
   h.  The right to access and review information related to the minor child’s safety while at school.
   2.  a.  The board of directors of a school district shall not require any student to engage in any activity, including instruction, or any test, assessment, or other means of evaluation, that involves obscene material without the express prior written consent of the student’s parent or guardian.
   b.  The board of directors of a school district shall not allow a minor child to access obscene material in a classroom or to check out obscene material from a library operated by the board of directors of the school district without the express prior written consent of the minor child’s parent or guardian.
   c.  For purposes of this subsection, “obscene material” means the same as defined in section 728.1.
   3.  The rights guaranteed to parents and guardians by this section are not a comprehensive list of the rights reserved to parents or guardians of a minor child. The enumeration of the rights contained in this section shall not be construed to limit the rights reserved to parents or guardians of a minor child.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to the rights of parents and guardians of students enrolled in school districts.
   The bill creates new Code section 279.76 (parent or guardian bill of rights). The bill provides that, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the following rights are reserved to the parent or guardian of a minor child: the right to know what the board of directors of the school district in which the minor child is enrolled is teaching the minor child, the right to access and review information related to who is teaching the minor child, the right to access and review information related to persons who contract with or otherwise receive moneys from the board of directors of the school district, the right to reasonable access to the minor child while the minor child is in school to ensure the minor child’s health and safety, unless otherwise prohibited by law, the right to access and review all school records relating to the minor child, the right to access and review information related to the collection and transmission of information related to the minor child, the right to access and review information necessary to ensure the accountability and transparency of the board of directors of the school district, and the right to access and review information related to the minor child’s safety at school.
   The bill provides that the board of directors of a school district shall not require any student to engage in any activity, including instruction or any test, assessment, or other means of evaluation that involves obscene material without the express prior written consent of the student’s parent or guardian. The bill also provides that the board of directors of a school district shall not allow a minor child to access obscene material in a classroom or to check out obscene material from a library without the express prior written consent of the minor child’s parent or guardian. The bill defines “obscene material”.
   The bill provides that the rights guaranteed by new Code section 279.76 are not a comprehensive list of the rights reserved to parents or guardians of a minor child.