House File 2286 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2286 BY THOMSON A BILL FOR An Act relating to education, including by modifying provisions 1 related to the social studies curriculum, core curriculum, 2 graduation requirements, area education agencies, and 3 high school equivalency diplomas, and including transition 4 provisions and effective date and applicability provisions. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh

H.F. 2286 Section 1. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT. The general 1 assembly finds and declares all of the following: 2 1. Under Article IX, section 12, of the Constitution 3 of the State of Iowa and long-established jurisprudence, 4 the general assembly possesses exclusive, plenary, and 5 nondelegable authority to determine the structure, funding, 6 and instructional requirements of Iowa’s public schools. Any 7 authority exercised by the department of education or state 8 board of education exists solely by legislative delegation and 9 may be modified, circumscribed, or withdrawn at the general 10 assembly’s discretion. 11 2. Because academic content standards substantively define 12 curriculum and directly determine what Iowa students must 13 learn, the general assembly finds that precise statutory 14 direction is necessary to satisfy Iowa’s constitutional 15 nondelegation doctrine and to prevent the exercise of unbounded 16 administrative discretion over fundamental questions of 17 educational content. 18 3. The general assembly intends that courts shall not 19 substitute their judgment for, nor modify, revise, supplement, 20 or reinterpret, the content standards adopted herein. The 21 standards incorporated by this Act are adopted as fixed 22 statutory text, not subject to dynamic interpretation, 23 administrative gloss, or judicial updating. 24 4. The draft social studies standards that the department of 25 education adopted in 2025 failed to comply with the provisions 26 of 2024 Iowa Acts, chapter 1159, in all of the following ways: 27 a. Retaining an unreadable and opaque organizational 28 structure that obscures rather than clarifies content 29 requirements. 30 b. Subordinating factual content knowledge to inquiry-based 31 frameworks that prioritize process over substance. 32 c. Reclassifying essential historical and civic content as 33 optional or supplementary. 34 d. Introducing action civics, political advocacy 35 -1- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 1/ 16

H.F. 2286 requirements, and ideological categorical frameworks. 1 e. Omitting required content on western civilization, the 2 founding documents, and constitutional principles. 3 f. Frustrating legislative intent for clarity, objectivity, 4 and content mastery. 5 5. Based on the documented record of noncompliance, the 6 general assembly finds that the department of education is not 7 presently capable of producing standards meeting legislative 8 requirements and must therefore be divested of discretionary 9 authority over the content of social studies standards. 10 6. The South Dakota social studies standards, as defined in 11 section 256.11C, provide a lucid, chronological, content-rich, 12 civic-neutral, and ideologically restrained framework 13 consistent with the legislative mandate for factual knowledge, 14 historical accuracy, and transparent pedagogy. 15 7. Due to the constitutional, pedagogical, and 16 administrative deficiencies identified above, the general 17 assembly finds that direct statutory adoption is the only 18 method capable of ensuring statewide fidelity, permanence, 19 nonpoliticization, and clarity in social studies instruction. 20 8. Any ambiguities in the adopted standards shall be 21 resolved in favor of the plain, ordinary meaning of the text as 22 written, and no doctrine of administrative deference, including 23 Auer deference, Chevron deference, or any state-law equivalent, 24 shall apply to any interpretation offered by the department of 25 education, the state board of education, or any other state 26 agency. 27 Sec. 2. Section 2B.12, subsection 5, Code 2026, is amended 28 by adding the following new paragraph: 29 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0g. The South Dakota social studies 30 standards adopted pursuant to section 256C.11. 31 Sec. 3. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a, 32 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2026, is amended to read as 33 follows: 34 Adopt a core curriculum and adopt rules that establish high 35 -2- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 2/ 16

H.F. 2286 school graduation requirements for all students in school 1 districts and accredited nonpublic schools that include at a 2 minimum satisfactory completion of four years of English and 3 language arts, three years of mathematics, and three years of 4 science , and three years of social studies . 5 Sec. 4. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a, 6 subparagraph (3), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 7 (3) The core curriculum shall address the core content 8 standards in subsection 28 and the skills and knowledge 9 students need to be successful in the twenty-first century. 10 The core curriculum shall include social studies and 11 twenty-first century learning skills which include but are 12 not limited to civic literacy, health literacy, financial 13 literacy, family life and consumer sciences, and employability 14 skills; and shall address the curricular needs of students in 15 kindergarten through grade twelve in those areas. The state 16 board shall further define the twenty-first century learning 17 skills components. 18 Sec. 5. Section 256.9, subsection 79, Code 2026, is amended 19 by striking the subsection. 20 Sec. 6. Section 256.11, subsection 3, paragraph a, 21 subparagraph (2), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 22 (2) Social studies , as described in section 256.11C . 23 Sec. 7. Section 256.11, subsection 4, paragraph a, 24 subparagraph (2), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 25 (2) Social studies, including instruction related to civics 26 as described in section 256.11C . 27 Sec. 8. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph b, Code 28 2026, is amended to read as follows: 29 b. Five units of the social studies including instruction 30 in voting statutes and procedures, voter registration 31 requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting systems in 32 the election process, and the method of acquiring and casting 33 an absentee ballot. All students shall complete a minimum 34 of one-half unit of United States government and one unit of 35 -3- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 3/ 16

H.F. 2286 United States history. The one-half unit of United States 1 government shall include the voting procedure as described in 2 this lettered paragraph and section 280.9A . The government 3 instruction shall also include a study of the Constitution 4 of the United States and the Bill of Rights contained in the 5 Constitution and an assessment of a student’s knowledge of the 6 Constitution and the Bill of Rights , as described in section 7 256.11C . 8 Sec. 9. Section 256.11, subsection 18, Code 2026, is amended 9 to read as follows: 10 18. The board of directors of a school district and the 11 authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall 12 each establish a policy to award credit toward graduation 13 to a student if the student participates in the legislative 14 page program at the state capitol for a regular session of 15 the general assembly. The student shall be excused from the 16 physical education requirements of subsection 5 , paragraph “g” , 17 subparagraph (1), and is exempt from the physical activity 18 requirements of subsection 6 , paragraph “b” , subparagraph (2), 19 while participating in the legislative page program. The 20 student must complete the graduation requirements of section 21 256.7, subsection 26 , paragraph “a” , but participation in the 22 legislative page program for a complete regular session of the 23 general assembly shall count as one-half unit of social studies 24 credit required for purposes of section 256.7, subsection 26 , 25 paragraph “a” . 26 Sec. 10. NEW SECTION . 256.11C Social studies standards. 27 1. As used in this section: 28 a. “Action civics” means any assignment, project, or 29 requirement that requires, encourages, incentivizes, or rewards 30 students for engaging in political activism, lobbying, protest, 31 community organizing, contacting elected officials to advocate 32 for policy positions, or any other form of political advocacy, 33 whether during or outside of school hours. 34 b. “Inquiry-based learning” means instructional methods 35 -4- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 4/ 16

H.F. 2286 that replace or subordinate the transmission of factual 1 content knowledge with student-generated questions, open-ended 2 projects, subjective exploration, or processes in which 3 students are expected to construct knowledge rather than learn 4 established facts and interpretations. 5 c. “Political indoctrination” means instruction that 6 presents partisan viewpoints, contested ideological frameworks, 7 or advocacy-based perspectives as established fact, mandatory 8 belief, or the sole acceptable interpretation, or that 9 penalizes students for expressing dissenting viewpoints on 10 contested political or social questions. 11 d. “South Dakota social studies standards” means the South 12 Dakota social studies standards, as adopted by the South Dakota 13 board of education standards on April 17, 2023. 14 e. “State agency” means any executive, judicial, or 15 legislative department, commission, board, institution, 16 division, bureau, office, agency, or other entity of state 17 government. 18 2. a. The South Dakota social studies standards are 19 hereby enacted as statutory text and incorporated by reference 20 with the same force and effect as if fully set forth in this 21 section. 22 b. The South Dakota social studies standards constitute 23 the sole and exclusive social studies content standards for 24 all kindergarten through grade twelve instruction in school 25 districts and area education agencies in this state. 26 c. The reference to the South Dakota social studies 27 standards in this section is static and incorporates only the 28 text of such standards as it existed on April 17, 2023. A state 29 agency, board, court, or any other entity of this state shall 30 not construe this reference dynamically. 31 d. Any subsequent amendments, revisions, or modifications to 32 the South Dakota social studies standards shall have no effect 33 in this state unless and until expressly adopted by an Act of 34 the general assembly. 35 -5- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 5/ 16

H.F. 2286 e. The Iowa Code editor shall do all of the following: 1 (1) Arrange for the publishing of the standards as part of 2 the Iowa Code, as required under section 2B.12, subsection 5. 3 (2) Maintain the complete text of the South Dakota social 4 studies standards with the same permanence as statutory text. 5 3. a. The draft social studies standards that the 6 department adopted in 2025 pursuant to 2024 Iowa Acts, ch. 7 1159, including all versions, iterations, supporting documents, 8 and derivative materials produced by or for the department, 9 are hereby rejected, declared void ab initio, without legal 10 force, and shall not be used, directly or indirectly, for 11 any instructional, curricular, assessment, accreditation, 12 licensing, certification, professional development, 13 grantmaking, or evaluative purpose. 14 b. A state agency, court, school district, area education 15 agency, or any other entity shall not give interpretive weight, 16 persuasive authority, or any other consideration to the draft 17 social studies standards that the department adopted in 2025 18 pursuant to 2024 Iowa Acts, ch. 1159, when construing the 19 requirements of this section or evaluating compliance with this 20 section. 21 c. This section supersedes and preempts all conflicting 22 sections, administrative rules, regulations, guidance, 23 documents, memoranda, policy statements, accreditation 24 requirements, administrative interpretations, grant conditions, 25 professional development requirements, and local policies. Any 26 such conflicting provisions are hereby declared inoperative to 27 the extent of the conflict. 28 4. a. The department, the state board, and all other state 29 agencies shall not revise, reinterpret, supplement, amend, 30 narrow, expand, clarify, gloss, or create exceptions to the 31 South Dakota social studies standards. 32 b. The prohibition described in paragraph “a” extends to 33 any action that has the practical effect of modifying the South 34 Dakota social studies standards, regardless of the label, form, 35 -6- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 6/ 16

H.F. 2286 or mechanism used. Prohibited actions include but are not 1 limited to all of the following: 2 (1) Issuing guidance, clarifications, frequently asked 3 questions documents, implementation guides, instructional 4 frameworks, curriculum frameworks, scope and sequence 5 documents, pacing guides, or any other similar documents that 6 add to, subtract from, or recharacterize the South Dakota 7 social studies standards. 8 (2) Conditioning approval, accreditation, funding, grants, 9 or favorable treatment on the use of materials, methods, or 10 interpretations not required by this section. 11 (3) Designing state assessments in a manner that tests 12 content, skills, or dispositions not explicitly required by the 13 South Dakota social studies standards, or that de-emphasize 14 content required by the South Dakota social studies standards. 15 (4) Requiring or incentivizing alignment to any framework, 16 taxonomy, or pedagogical model not expressly required by this 17 section. 18 (5) Mandating or recommending professional development, 19 training, or certification requirements that promote 20 pedagogical approaches that are inconsistent with 21 content-focused instruction. 22 (6) Using accreditation reviews, school improvement plans, 23 or compliance audits to require instructional practices that 24 are not mandated by this section. 25 (7) Entering into agreements with regional, national, or 26 interstate organizations that would impose supplementary or 27 alternative social studies standards. 28 (8) Adopting or endorsing model curricula, recommended 29 resources, or approved textbook lists that incorporate content 30 or methods that are inconsistent with this section. 31 (9) Any other action that functionally circumvents the 32 exclusivity of the South Dakota social studies standards. 33 5. Any rule, guidance, or action adopted by a state agency 34 in conflict with this section is invalid ab initio, shall be 35 -7- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 7/ 16

H.F. 2286 accorded no deference by any court or administrative body, and 1 shall be unenforceable against any school district, accredited 2 nonpublic school, charter school, innovation zone school, area 3 education agency, educator, or student. 4 6. A school district or an area education agency shall not 5 provide social studies instruction that includes action civics, 6 inquiry-based learning, or political indoctrination unless 7 expressly authorized by an Act of the general assembly. This 8 prohibition applies to required instruction, elective courses, 9 extracurricular activities conducted under school auspices, and 10 any activity for which students receive academic credit. 11 7. Any state-mandated social studies assessment must 12 satisfy all of the following requirements: 13 a. Test only the content knowledge expressly required by the 14 South Dakota social studies standards. 15 b. Not test any skills, dispositions, competencies, 16 or inquiry processes, except to the extent such items are 17 explicitly stated in the South Dakota social studies standards. 18 c. Weight all content areas in proportion to their emphasis 19 in the South Dakota social studies standards. 20 d. Not include any items that assume, reward, or penalize 21 particular political, ideological, or policy viewpoints. 22 e. Be reviewed and approved by the senate standing committee 23 on education and the house of representatives standing 24 committee on education prior to administration. 25 8. a. The department’s role with respect to the South 26 Dakota social studies standards is limited to only the 27 following ministerial functions: 28 (1) Publishing and distributing the statutory standards to 29 school districts, area education agencies, and the public. 30 (2) Receiving and investigating complaints of 31 noncompliance. 32 (3) Administering the financial sanctions as provided in 33 this section. 34 (4) Reporting annually to the general assembly on statewide 35 -8- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 8/ 16

H.F. 2286 compliance with this section. 1 (5) Performing such other purely administrative tasks as 2 expressly authorized by an Act of the general assembly. 3 b. The department shall not characterize, interpret, or 4 elaborate upon the South Dakota social studies standards in 5 the course of performing the ministerial functions described 6 in paragraph “a” . 7 9. a. If the director determines that a school district or 8 area education agency is not in compliance with this section, 9 the director shall provide written notice to the school 10 district or area education agency describing the nature of the 11 noncompliance and allow the school district or area education 12 agency sixty days to cure the noncompliance. 13 b. If the director determines that the school district or 14 area education agency has not cured the noncompliance within 15 sixty days after receipt of the written notice described in 16 paragraph “a” , the director and the department of management 17 shall coordinate to ensure all of the following: 18 (1) In the case of a school district that has not cured the 19 noncompliance within sixty days after receipt of the written 20 notice, that state aid paid pursuant to section 257.16 for 21 a fiscal year is reduced in proportion to the severity and 22 scope of the noncompliance until the noncompliance is cured. 23 The reduction made pursuant to this subparagraph shall be in 24 an amount not less than ten percent and not greater than one 25 hundred percent and shall be divided between each monthly 26 installment as evenly as possible. 27 (2) In the case of an area education agency that has not 28 cured the noncompliance within sixty days after receipt of 29 the written notice, any amounts paid to the area education 30 agency pursuant to section 257.35 for a fiscal year are reduced 31 in proportion to the severity and scope of the noncompliance 32 until the noncompliance is cured. The reduction made pursuant 33 to this subparagraph shall be in an amount not less than ten 34 percent and not greater than one hundred percent and shall be 35 -9- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 9/ 16

H.F. 2286 divided between each monthly installment as evenly as possible. 1 (3) Any moneys withheld or reduced pursuant to this 2 paragraph that are not paid to the applicable school district 3 or area education agency within one year shall be transferred 4 to the general fund of the state. 5 c. Judicial review of the director’s determinations 6 related to noncompliance, and whether noncompliance has been 7 cured, shall be limited to correction of clear errors of 8 fact. A court shall not substitute the court’s judgment for 9 the director’s determination related to noncompliance, or 10 whether noncompliance has been cured, and shall not overturn a 11 reduction in state aid paid pursuant to section 257.16 or any 12 amount paid pursuant to section 257.35 based on a disagreement 13 with the educational policy choices embodied in this section. 14 10. School districts, area education agencies, and the 15 department shall not adopt, require, recommend, or give 16 preferential treatment to curriculum frameworks, instructional 17 guides, scope and sequence documents, or any other materials 18 that effectively substitute for, dilute, or override the South 19 Dakota social studies standards. 20 11. A state agency shall not do any of the following: 21 a. Condition grants, awards, recognition, accreditation 22 status, or any other benefit on a school district’s or area 23 education agency’s adoption of instructional approaches, 24 curriculum materials, or assessment practices that are not 25 required by the South Dakota social studies standards. 26 b. Enter into any agreement, compact, or memorandum of 27 understanding with any regional, national, or interstate 28 organization that would require or encourage school districts 29 or area education agencies to comply with standards, 30 frameworks, or requirements other than the South Dakota social 31 studies standards. 32 12. The board of educational examiners and the department 33 shall not require, as a condition of initial licensure, 34 license renewal, or endorsement, the completion of coursework 35 -10- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 10/ 16

H.F. 2286 or professional development in pedagogical approaches that 1 are inconsistent with content-focused instruction or that 2 promotes inquiry-based learning, action civics, or political 3 indoctrination. 4 13. a. A school district or an area education agency shall 5 not use any alternative social studies standards, frameworks, 6 or instructional guidance, whether adopted by the department, 7 adopted from another state or organization, or created locally, 8 as a basis for evaluation, assessment, or instruction. 9 b. The department shall not use any alternative social 10 studies standards, frameworks, or instructional guidance, 11 whether adopted by the department, adopted from another 12 state or organization, or created locally, as a basis for 13 accreditation. 14 14. a. In any action challenging the validity, 15 interpretation, or application of this section, a court shall 16 give controlling weight to the general assembly’s legislative 17 findings described in this Act, which shall be considered 18 binding factual determinations reflecting the general 19 assembly’s expertise in educational policy. 20 b. A court shall accord no deference to any interpretation 21 of this section offered by the department, state board, or any 22 other state agency. The standards and prohibitions in this 23 section shall be construed according to their plain meaning as 24 determined by the court. 25 c. Any resident of this state, including any parent or 26 guardian of a student enrolled in a school district, shall 27 have standing to bring a civil action in district court to 28 enjoin violations of this section. In any action to enforce 29 the provisions of this section, a prevailing plaintiff shall 30 be entitled to recover reasonable attorney fees and reasonable 31 court costs from the entity found to be in violation of this 32 section. 33 15. a. If any provision of this Act, not including the 34 adoption of the South Dakota social studies standards in 35 -11- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 11/ 16

H.F. 2286 subsection 2, is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect 1 other provisions or applications of the Act which can be given 2 effect without the invalid provision or application. 3 b. The adoption of the South Dakota social studies standards 4 in subsection 2 is essential to and not severable from the 5 general assembly’s intent. If a court holds that the adoption 6 of the South Dakota social studies standards is invalid, 7 unconstitutional, or unenforceable, then this entire Act shall 8 be void. 9 Sec. 11. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, paragraph s, Code 10 2026, is amended by striking the paragraph. 11 Sec. 12. Section 256F.4, subsection 2, paragraph u, Code 12 2026, is amended by striking the paragraph. 13 Sec. 13. Section 259A.1, Code 2026, is amended to read as 14 follows: 15 259A.1 Assessment of competency. 16 The department of education shall cause to be made available 17 for qualified individuals a high school equivalency diploma. 18 The diploma shall be issued to qualified individuals who 19 successfully pass the civics test as set forth in section 20 280.9A , and demonstrate on the basis of demonstrated competence 21 in all of the following core areas: reading, language arts, 22 literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies. 23 Sec. 14. Section 331.502, subsection 13, Code 2026, is 24 amended by striking the subsection. 25 Sec. 15. REPEAL. Section 280.9A, Code 2026, is repealed. 26 Sec. 16. TRANSITION PROVISIONS. 27 1. A school district or area education agency may implement 28 the provisions of section 256.11C, if enacted by this Act, 29 prior to the school year beginning July 1, 2026. 30 2. A school district or area education agency shall not be 31 penalized for actions taken in reliance on the draft social 32 studies standards that the department of education adopted in 33 2025 pursuant to 2024 Iowa Acts, chapter 1159, if the school 34 district or area education agency achieves full compliance with 35 -12- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 12/ 16

H.F. 2286 the provisions of section 256.11C by July 1, 2026. 1 Sec. 17. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of 2 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment. 3 Sec. 18. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to school years 4 beginning on or after July 1, 2026. 5 EXPLANATION 6 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 7 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 8 This bill relates to education, including by modifying 9 provisions related to the social studies curriculum, core 10 curriculum, graduation requirements, area education agencies, 11 and high school equivalency diplomas. 12 The bill defines “action civics” as any assignment, project, 13 or requirement that requires, encourages, incentivizes, or 14 rewards students for engaging in political activism, lobbying, 15 protest, community organizing, contacting elected officials to 16 advocate for policy positions, or any other form of political 17 advocacy, whether during or outside of school hours. The 18 bill defines “inquiry-based learning” as instructional 19 methods that replace or subordinate the transmission of 20 factual content knowledge with student-generated questions, 21 open-ended projects, subjective exploration, or processes in 22 which students are expected to construct knowledge rather 23 than learn established facts and interpretations. The bill 24 defines “political indoctrination” as instruction that presents 25 partisan viewpoints, contested ideological frameworks, or 26 advocacy-based perspectives as established fact, mandatory 27 belief, or the sole acceptable interpretation, or that 28 penalizes students for expressing dissenting viewpoints on 29 contested political or social questions. The bill defines 30 “South Dakota social studies standards” as the South Dakota 31 social studies standards, as adopted by the South Dakota board 32 of education standards on April 17, 2023. The bill defines 33 “state agency” as any executive, judicial, or legislative 34 department, commission, board, institution, division, bureau, 35 -13- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 13/ 16

H.F. 2286 office, agency, or other entity of state government. 1 The bill enacts new Code section 256.11C, which provides 2 that the South Dakota social studies standards constitute the 3 sole and exclusive social studies content standards for all 4 kindergarten through grade 12 instruction in school districts 5 and area education agencies in this state. New Code section 6 256.11C prohibits state agencies, boards, courts, and any other 7 entity of this state from construing the reference to the South 8 Dakota social studies standards dynamically. Any subsequent 9 amendments, revisions, or modifications to the South Dakota 10 social studies standards have no effect in this state unless 11 and until expressly adopted by the general assembly. 12 New Code section 256.11C provides that the draft social 13 studies standards that the department of education adopted in 14 2025 are rejected and shall not be used for any instructional, 15 assessment, accreditation, licensing, certification, 16 professional development, or grantmaking. A state agency, 17 court, school district, or area education agency shall not 18 give any consideration to the draft social studies standards 19 that the department of education adopted in 2025. New Code 20 section 256.11C prohibits the department of education, the 21 state board of education, and all other state agencies from 22 revising or creating exceptions to the South Dakota social 23 studies standards. 24 New Code section 256.11C prohibits school districts and area 25 education agencies from providing social studies instruction 26 that includes action civics, inquiry-based learning, or 27 political indoctrination unless expressly authorized by 28 the general assembly. New Code section 256.11C establishes 29 requirements related to state-mandated social studies 30 assessments. 31 New Code section 256.11C provides that the department of 32 education’s role with respect to the South Dakota social 33 studies standards is limited to certain specified ministerial 34 functions. If the director of the department of education 35 -14- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 14/ 16

H.F. 2286 determines that a school district or area education agency is 1 not in compliance with the bill’s provisions, new Code section 2 256.11C establishes enforcement provisions that involve written 3 notices and the withholding of moneys. 4 New Code section 256.11C prohibits school districts, area 5 education agencies, and the department of education from 6 adopting, requiring, recommending, or giving preferential 7 treatment to any materials that effectively substitute for, 8 dilute, or override the South Dakota social studies standards. 9 New Code section 256.11C prohibits state agencies from 10 conditioning any benefit on a school district’s or area 11 education agency’s adoption of instructional approaches, 12 curriculum materials, or assessment practices that are not 13 required by the South Dakota social studies standards, and 14 from entering into any agreement with any organization that 15 would require or encourage school districts or area education 16 agencies to comply with requirements other than the South 17 Dakota social studies standards. 18 New Code section 256.11C prohibits the board of educational 19 examiners and the department of education from requiring, 20 as a condition of initial licensure, license renewal, or 21 endorsement, the completion of coursework or professional 22 development in pedagogical approaches that are inconsistent 23 with content-focused instruction or that promotes inquiry-based 24 learning, action civics, or political indoctrination. 25 New Code section 256.11C prohibits school districts and 26 area education agencies from using any alternative social 27 studies standards as a basis for evaluation, assessment, or 28 instruction. New Code section 256.11C also prohibits the 29 department of education from using any alternative social 30 studies standards as a basis for accreditation. 31 New Code section 256.11C establishes how courts are to 32 interpret new Code section 256.11C and how courts are to 33 interpret the department of education’s or state board of 34 education’s interpretation of new Code section 256.11C. New 35 -15- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 15/ 16

H.F. 2286 Code section 256.11C also establishes severability provisions. 1 New Code section 256.11C provides that any resident of this 2 state shall have standing to bring a civil action in district 3 court to enjoin violations of new Code section 256.11C. 4 New Code section 256.11C applies to school years beginning 5 on or after July 1, 2026. The bill authorizes a school 6 district or area education agency to implement the provisions 7 of new Code section 256.11C prior to the school year beginning 8 July 1, 2026. The bill provides that a school district or 9 area education agency shall not be penalized for actions taken 10 in reliance on the draft social studies standards that the 11 department of education adopted in 2025 if the school district 12 or area education agency achieves full compliance by July 1, 13 2026. 14 The bill requires that the Iowa Code include the South Dakota 15 social studies standards. The bill makes conforming changes, 16 including changes related to the core curriculum, graduation 17 requirements, and high school equivalency diplomas. 18 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 19 -16- LSB 6153HH (4) 91 jda/jh 16/ 16