HF 251 (LSB 2313YH (5) 91)

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 information related to nonpublic schools that are accredited by an approved independent accrediting agency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.11, subsection 16, paragraph a, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  Notwithstanding subsections 1 through 12, a nonpublic school may be accredited by an approved independent accrediting agency instead of by the state board as provided in this subsection. The state board shall maintain a list of approved independent accrediting agencies comprised of at least six regional or national nonprofit, nongovernmental agencies recognized as reliable authorities concerning the quality of education offered by a school and shall publish the list of independent accrediting agencies on the department’s internet site. The list shall include accrediting agencies that, as of January 1, 2013, accredited a nonpublic school in this state that was concurrently accredited under this section; and any agency that has a formalized partnership agreement with another agency on the list and has member schools in this state as of January 1, 2013.  The list shall also include each nonpublic school that is accredited by an approved independent accrediting agency pursuant to this paragraph, a description of the educational standards that the approved independent accrediting agency required the nonpublic school to meet in order to attain accreditation, and any amendments or waivers to the educational standards that each school received. The state board shall update the list annually, on or before June 30 of each year.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill requires the state board of education to publish information related to nonpublic schools that are accredited by an approved independent accrediting agency.
   Under current law, nonpublic schools in Iowa may be accredited by the department of education (DE) or by an independent accrediting agency that has been approved by DE. Also under current law, the state board of education is required to publish a list of the approved independent accrediting agencies on DE’s internet site. The bill requires the list to include each nonpublic school that is accredited by an approved independent accrediting agency, a description of the educational standards that the approved independent accrediting agency required the nonpublic school to meet in order to attain accreditation, and any amendments or waivers to the educational standards that each school received. The state board is required to update the list annually.