House File 251 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 251 BY LEVIN , WILSON , TUREK , EHLERT , MATSON , COOLING , SCHEETZ , KURTH , B. MEYER , WESSEL-KROESCHELL , JAMES , McBURNEY , SRINIVAS , MADISON , KONFRST , WICHTENDAHL , WILBURN , GJERDE , JUDGE , OLSON , BROWN-POWERS , BAGNIEWSKI , AMOS JR. , SCHOLTEN , ZABNER , R. JOHNSON , JACOBY , GAINES , NIELSEN , KRESSIG , CROKEN , GOSA , and BAETH A BILL FOR An Act requiring the state board of education to publish 1 information related to nonpublic schools that are accredited 2 by an approved independent accrediting agency. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2313YH (5) 91 jda/jh

H.F. 251 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsection 16, paragraph a, Code 1 2025, is amended to read as follows: 2 a. Notwithstanding subsections 1 through 12 , a nonpublic 3 school may be accredited by an approved independent accrediting 4 agency instead of by the state board as provided in this 5 subsection . The state board shall maintain a list of approved 6 independent accrediting agencies comprised of at least six 7 regional or national nonprofit, nongovernmental agencies 8 recognized as reliable authorities concerning the quality of 9 education offered by a school and shall publish the list of 10 independent accrediting agencies on the department’s internet 11 site. The list shall include accrediting agencies that, as 12 of January 1, 2013, accredited a nonpublic school in this 13 state that was concurrently accredited under this section ; 14 and any agency that has a formalized partnership agreement 15 with another agency on the list and has member schools in this 16 state as of January 1, 2013. The list shall also include each 17 nonpublic school that is accredited by an approved independent 18 accrediting agency pursuant to this paragraph, a description 19 of the educational standards that the approved independent 20 accrediting agency required the nonpublic school to meet in 21 order to attain accreditation, and any amendments or waivers to 22 the educational standards that each school received. The state 23 board shall update the list annually, on or before June 30 of 24 each year. 25 EXPLANATION 26 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 27 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 28 This bill requires the state board of education to publish 29 information related to nonpublic schools that are accredited by 30 an approved independent accrediting agency. 31 Under current law, nonpublic schools in Iowa may be 32 accredited by the department of education (DE) or by an 33 independent accrediting agency that has been approved by 34 DE. Also under current law, the state board of education 35 -1- LSB 2313YH (5) 91 jda/jh 1/ 2

H.F. 251 is required to publish a list of the approved independent 1 accrediting agencies on DE’s internet site. The bill requires 2 the list to include each nonpublic school that is accredited 3 by an approved independent accrediting agency, a description 4 of the educational standards that the approved independent 5 accrediting agency required the nonpublic school to meet in 6 order to attain accreditation, and any amendments or waivers to 7 the educational standards that each school received. The state 8 board is required to update the list annually. 9 -2- LSB 2313YH (5) 91 jda/jh 2/ 2