House File 2510 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2510 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 714) A BILL FOR An Act relating to education, including by modifying provisions 1 related to the social studies instruction provided to 2 students enrolled in grades one through twelve and the 3 educational programs provided by the institutions of higher 4 education under the control of the state board of regents, 5 and requiring education related to the holocaust for 6 students and teachers in school districts. 7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 8 TLSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh

H.F. 2510 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsection 3, paragraph a, 1 subparagraph (2), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 2 (2) Social studies. The social studies curriculum shall 3 include instruction related to all of the following: 4 (a) The workings of the federal, state, and local levels of 5 government. 6 (b) The rights and responsibilities of citizens of the 7 United States and the state of Iowa. 8 (c) The history of the secular and religious ideals and 9 institutions of liberty, including political, religious, 10 economic, social, and cultural liberty, in western 11 civilization, the United States, and the state of Iowa, which 12 emphasizes the good, worthwhile, and best achievements of these 13 ideals and institutions of liberty. 14 (d) Exemplary figures in western civilization, the United 15 States, and the state of Iowa who have fought to secure 16 liberty. 17 (e) The cultural heritage of western civilization, the 18 United States, and the state of Iowa. 19 (f) The geography of the United States and the state of 20 Iowa. 21 (g) The history and meaning of the United States flag and 22 the national anthem. 23 (h) Admirable Americans, including Benjamin Franklin, 24 George Washington, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 25 and Abraham Lincoln. 26 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, subsection 3, Code 2026, is amended 27 by adding the following new paragraph: 28 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0c. During grades five and six, the 29 instruction provided as part of the social studies curriculum 30 shall incorporate the study of documents that are important 31 to the history of the United States, including all of the 32 following: 33 (1) The Mayflower compact. 34 (2) Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine. 35 -1- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 1/ 18

H.F. 2510 (3) The Declaration of Independence. 1 (4) The Articles of Confederation. 2 (5) The Pennsylvania Act for the gradual abolition of 3 slavery. 4 (6) The Virginia statute for religious freedom. 5 (7) The northwest ordinance. 6 (8) The Constitution of the United States. 7 (9) The federalist papers, including federalist number ten 8 and federalist number fifty-one. 9 (10) A transcript of George Washington’s farewell address. 10 (11) Relevant excerpts from Democracy in America written by 11 Alexis de Tocqueville. 12 (12) A transcript of the first debate between Abraham 13 Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. 14 (13) The Emancipation Proclamation. 15 (14) The writings of the founding fathers. 16 Sec. 3. Section 256.11, subsection 4, paragraph a, 17 subparagraph (2), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 18 (2) (a) Social studies , including instruction related 19 to civics . The social studies curriculum shall require at 20 least one semester of instruction, or the trimester or quarter 21 equivalent, in each of the following areas: 22 (i) Civics, which shall include instruction related to all 23 of the following: 24 (A) The intellectual sources of the United States’ founding 25 documents. 26 (B) The political and military narrative of the causes and 27 progress of the American Revolution. 28 (C) The United States’ founding documents and the original 29 intent of such documents. 30 (D) The Constitution of the United States, with emphasis on 31 the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution of the State of Iowa. 32 (E) The basic principles of the United States’ republican 33 form of government. 34 (F) The historical development of the United States’ 35 -2- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 2/ 18

H.F. 2510 republican form of government. 1 (G) The United States’ republican form of government 2 compared with different forms of government including 3 dictatorship, monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, communism, and 4 autocracy. 5 (H) The structure, function, and processes of government 6 institutions at the federal, state, and local levels. 7 (I) The civic virtues exemplified in the lives of famous 8 Americans. 9 (ii) United States history, which shall include instruction 10 related to all of the following: 11 (A) The study of and devotion to the United States’ 12 exceptional and praiseworthy history. 13 (B) The basic political, diplomatic, and military history 14 of the United States, which shall include the period of 15 discovery, early colonies, the War of Independence, the 16 Civil War, the expansion of the United States to its present 17 boundaries, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the civil 18 rights movement, and the period of time from the September 11 19 attacks to the present day, which shall incorporate the study 20 of primary source documents. 21 (C) The basic history of business and technology in the 22 United States, which shall incorporate the study of primary 23 source documents. 24 (D) The basic history of the religious and secular aspects 25 of the United States’ common culture, which shall incorporate 26 the study of primary source documents. 27 (E) The concept that United States history shall be viewed 28 as factual, not as constructed, shall be viewed as knowable, 29 teachable, and testable, and shall be defined as the creation 30 of a new nation based largely on the universal principles 31 stated in the Declaration of Independence. 32 (iii) The history of western civilization, which shall 33 include instruction that constitutes an extended, coherent 34 account of western civilization, from Athens, Jerusalem, and 35 -3- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 3/ 18

H.F. 2510 Rome to the present day, to understand the nature of the 1 nation’s ideals and institutions of liberty, how such ideals 2 and institutions of liberty came into existence, and what 3 actions the nation’s forefathers took to preserve them. 4 (iv) Iowa history, to be taught during grade eight, which 5 shall include instruction related to all of the following: 6 (A) The history of the founding of Iowa. 7 (B) The history of famous Iowans and their involvement in 8 important events in history. 9 (C) How Iowans have impacted government, policies, issues, 10 and procedures over the years. 11 (D) The history of the state motto, bird, tree, and rock. 12 (v) Economics, to be taught during grade eight. The 13 economics instruction shall focus on the free enterprise system 14 and its benefits. The economics curriculum shall include 15 instruction related to the failures of economic systems of 16 communist regimes and the difference between capitalist and 17 communist economic systems. 18 (b) The social studies curriculum shall include instruction 19 related to admirable Americans, including Benjamin Franklin, 20 George Washington, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 21 and Abraham Lincoln. 22 (c) The instruction provided as part of the social studies 23 curriculum shall incorporate the study of documents that are 24 important to the history of the United States, including all 25 of the following: 26 (i) The Mayflower compact. 27 (ii) Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine. 28 (iii) The Declaration of Independence. 29 (iv) The Articles of Confederation. 30 (v) The Pennsylvania Act for the gradual abolition of 31 slavery. 32 (vi) The Virginia statute for religious freedom. 33 (vii) The northwest ordinance. 34 (viii) The Constitution of the United States. 35 -4- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 4/ 18

H.F. 2510 (ix) The federalist papers, including federalist number ten 1 and federalist number fifty-one. 2 (x) A transcript of George Washington’s farewell address. 3 (xi) Relevant excerpts from Democracy in America written by 4 Alexis de Tocqueville. 5 (xii) A transcript of the first debate between Abraham 6 Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. 7 (xiii) The Emancipation Proclamation. 8 (xiv) The writings of the founding fathers. 9 Sec. 4. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph b, Code 10 2026, is amended to read as follows: 11 b. Five units of the social studies including instruction 12 in voting statutes and procedures, voter registration 13 requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting systems in 14 the election process, and the method of acquiring and casting 15 an absentee ballot . All students shall complete a minimum of 16 one-half unit of United States government , and one unit of 17 civics, two units of United States history , and one unit of 18 western civilization . The social studies curriculum shall not 19 include any advanced placement course that requires action 20 civics. The social studies curriculum shall incorporate the 21 study of documents that are important to the history of the 22 United States, including the Mayflower compact; Common Sense, 23 written by Thomas Paine; the Declaration of Independence; the 24 Articles of Confederation; the Pennsylvania Act for the gradual 25 abolition of slavery; the Virginia statute for religious 26 freedom; the northwest ordinance; the Constitution of the 27 United States; the federalist papers, including federalist 28 number ten and federalist number fifty-one; a transcript of 29 George Washington’s farewell address; relevant excerpts from 30 Democracy in America written by Alexis de Tocqueville; a 31 transcript of the first debate between Abraham Lincoln and 32 Stephen A. Douglas; the Emancipation Proclamation; and the 33 writings of the founding fathers. 34 (1) The one-half unit of United States government shall 35 -5- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 5/ 18

H.F. 2510 include the voting procedure as described in this lettered 1 paragraph and section 280.9A and other instruction related 2 to voting statutes and procedures, voter registration 3 requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting systems in 4 the election process, and the method of acquiring and casting 5 an absentee ballot . The government instruction shall also 6 include a study of the Constitution of the United States 7 and the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution and an 8 assessment of a student’s knowledge of the Constitution and the 9 Bill of Rights. 10 (2) The one unit of civics shall include a culminating 11 civic literacy examination that was not developed by the 12 school district or accredited nonpublic school or the teacher 13 providing the civics instruction. The examination shall 14 include an assessment of the student’s knowledge of United 15 States government and United States history, shall provide a 16 means of assessing civics instruction in grades nine through 17 twelve, and shall provide information that colleges and 18 universities may use to determine if incoming students possess 19 sufficient civic literacy. The one unit of civics shall not 20 include any requirements related to political activism, service 21 learning, civic engagement, action civics, or any cognate 22 activity. The one unit of civics shall include instruction 23 related to all of the following: 24 (a) The intellectual sources of the United States’ 25 founding documents, including documents that illustrate the 26 Greek, Hebrew, and Roman exemplars of liberty and republican 27 government; the Christian synthesis of Greek, Hebrew, and Roman 28 thought that emphasized the equal dignity of all individual 29 humans in the eyes of God; the medieval English inheritance 30 of common law, jury, local self-government, liberty, and 31 representative government; the early modern English inheritance 32 of Christian liberty, republicanism, the militia, accountable 33 government, mixed government, parliamentary sovereignty, 34 freedom of the press, and the English bill of rights and 35 -6- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 6/ 18

H.F. 2510 toleration Act; the colonial American inheritance of Christian 1 liberty, self-government, and local government; and the 2 enlightenment theories of John Locke, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, 3 and their contemporaries that universalized the European 4 traditions of liberty. 5 (b) The political and military narrative of the causes and 6 progress of the American revolution. 7 (c) The original intent of the documents described in 8 unnumbered paragraph 1. 9 (d) The Constitution of the United States, with an emphasis 10 on the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution, and the 11 Constitution of the State of Iowa. 12 (e) The basic principles of the United States’ republican 13 form of government and the institutions and principles to 14 preserve liberty and prevent misuse of government power, 15 including balance of power; consent of the governed; the 16 electoral college; federalism and the division of powers 17 between the federal government and the states; individual 18 liberties; rights of life, liberty, and property; popular 19 sovereignty; religious freedom; an educated citizenry; 20 representative government; civilian control of the military; 21 rule of law; control of faction; checks and balances; and 22 separation of powers among the executive, the legislature, and 23 the judiciary. 24 (f) The historical development of the United States’ 25 republican form of government, including the federalist and 26 antifederalist debates; the rise and role of political parties; 27 the rise of Jacksonian democracy; the expansion of the ideals 28 and institutions of liberty and republican self-government 29 to include all Americans, regardless of sex or race; the 30 causes and the constitutional consequences of the Civil War; 31 the thirteenth amendment, fourteenth amendment, fifteenth 32 amendment, and the nineteenth amendment; the rise of the new 33 deal administrative state; and United States Supreme Court 34 cases, including Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, 35 -7- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 7/ 18

H.F. 2510 Dred Scott v. Sandford, Pembina consolidated silver mining co. 1 v. Pennsylvania, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of 2 Education. 3 (g) The United States’ republican form of government 4 compared with different forms of government including 5 dictatorship, monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, communism, and 6 autocracy. 7 (h) The structure, function, and processes of governmental 8 institutions at the federal, state, and local levels. 9 (i) Civic virtues exemplified in the lives of famous 10 Americans, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, 11 Alexander Hamilton, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew 12 Jackson, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Abraham Lincoln, 13 Ulysses S. Grant, Ely Parker, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, 14 Walter Reed, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Curtis, Will Rogers, 15 Jim Thorpe, Jackie Robinson, George Marshall, Martin Luther 16 King, Jr., Richard Feynman, Neil Armstrong, and Ronald Reagan. 17 (3) The two units of United States history shall include an 18 assessment of the student’s knowledge of important historical 19 documents, including the Declaration of Independence, 20 the Constitution of the United States, the Emancipation 21 Proclamation, and excerpts from the federalist papers. One 22 unit of United States history shall focus on the period 23 of time beginning when the Mayflower landed on Cape Cod to 24 the conclusion of the Civil War. The other unit of United 25 States history shall focus on the period of time beginning 26 at the conclusion of the Civil War to the present day, which 27 unit shall include instruction related to the Holocaust and 28 crimes against humanity that have occurred under communist 29 regimes. The two units of United States history shall include 30 significant material related to the War of Independence and 31 the creation of the Constitution of the United States. The 32 two units of United States history shall be designed to 33 include significant biographical material related to exemplary 34 Americans to provide both the nation’s shared constitutional 35 -8- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 8/ 18

H.F. 2510 history and historical context. The two units of United 1 States history shall include instruction related to all of the 2 following: 3 (a) The United States’ exceptional and praiseworthy 4 history. 5 (b) The basic political, diplomatic, and military history 6 of the United States, which shall include the period of 7 discovery, early colonies, the War of Independence, the 8 Civil War, the expansion of the United States to its present 9 boundaries, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the civil 10 rights movement, and the period of time from the September 11 11 attacks to the present day, which shall incorporate the study 12 of primary source documents. 13 (c) The basic history of business and technology in the 14 United States, which shall incorporate the study of primary 15 source documents. 16 (d) The basic history of the religious and secular aspects 17 of the United States’ common culture, which shall incorporate 18 the study of primary source documents. 19 (e) The concept that United States history shall be viewed 20 as factual, not as constructed, shall be viewed as knowable, 21 teachable, and testable, and shall be defined as the creation 22 of a new nation based largely on the universal principles 23 stated in the Declaration of Independence. 24 (4) The one unit of western civilization shall include 25 instruction related to all of the following: 26 (a) Western civilization’s exceptional and praiseworthy 27 history. 28 (b) The basic political outline of western civilization, 29 which shall include the history of ancient Israel, the free 30 Greek city states, the Roman republic, the Roman empire, the 31 Carolingian empire, the medieval Papacy, medieval England, 32 absolutist France, parliamentary England, the Napoleonic 33 wars, World War I, World War II, the communist and fascist 34 challenges to the European order, and the survival and triumph 35 -9- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 9/ 18

H.F. 2510 of political and economic liberty, which shall incorporate the 1 study of primary source documents. 2 (c) The basic intellectual history of western civilization, 3 which shall include its Greek, Hebrew, and Roman sources; 4 the Christian synthesis of those Greek, Hebrew, and Roman 5 sources that emphasized the equal dignity of all individual 6 humans in the eyes of God; the renaissance rediscovery of 7 republican liberty; the reformation; the medieval and early 8 modern English ideals and institutions of common law, jury, 9 the militia, local self-government, political and religious 10 liberty, representative government, accountable government, 11 and parliamentary sovereignty; the scientific revolution; 12 the enlightenment ideals of political and economic liberty; 13 the nineteenth-century formulation of the scientific and 14 humanist disciplines; the emergence of modern conservatism and 15 liberalism; and the challenges to liberty of socialism and 16 fascism, which shall incorporate the study of primary source 17 documents. 18 (d) The basic history of science and technology in western 19 civilization, which shall emphasize Europe’s unique role as the 20 matrix of the modern scientific and industrial world, which 21 shall incorporate the study of primary source documents. 22 (e) The basic economic history of western civilization, 23 which shall emphasize Europe’s unique role as the matrix of 24 modern mass prosperity, which emerged from the interplay 25 of the ideals and institutions of economic liberty, secure 26 property rights, entrepreneurial innovation, and the industrial 27 revolution, which shall incorporate the study of primary source 28 documents. 29 (f) The basic history of the religious and secular aspects 30 of western civilization’s cultures, which shall emphasize the 31 protective aspects of liberty and incorporate the study of 32 primary source documents. 33 (g) The basic history of the fruitful and enduring 34 attachment of western civilization’s free peoples to their 35 -10- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 10/ 18

H.F. 2510 nations and faiths, which shall incorporate the study of 1 primary source documents. 2 (h) The concept that western civilization’s history shall 3 be viewed as factual, not as constructed, shall be viewed as 4 knowable, teachable, and testable, and shall be defined as the 5 creation of a civilization based largely on the ideals and 6 institutions of liberty. 7 Sec. 5. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, paragraph h, Code 8 2026, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 9 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (02) The educational standards of 10 section 256.11 relating to social studies instruction for 11 grades one through twelve. 12 Sec. 6. Section 256F.4, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 13 by adding the following new paragraph: 14 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0q. Be subject to and comply with the 15 requirements of section 256.11, subsections 3 and 4, and 16 section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “b” , relating to social 17 studies instruction in the same manner as a school district. 18 Sec. 7. Section 262.9, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 19 following new subsections: 20 NEW SUBSECTION . 43. a. (1) Direct the institutions of 21 higher education under its control to adopt policies that 22 require all students admitted to the baccalaureate degree 23 program provided by the institution to take a civic literacy 24 examination. 25 (2) Subparagraph (1) shall not apply to a student who has 26 taken and passed the civic literacy examination described in 27 section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “b” , subparagraph (2). 28 b. If a student does not pass the civic literacy examination 29 described in paragraph “a” , the institution shall require 30 the student to take a remedial civics course. The remedial 31 civics course shall include a culminating civic literacy 32 examination. The remedial civics course shall not contain any 33 requirements related to political activism, service learning, 34 civic engagement, action civics, or any cognate activity. 35 -11- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 11/ 18

H.F. 2510 c. If a student does not pass the civic literacy examination 1 described in paragraph “b” , the student shall be allowed to 2 retake the examination as many times as is necessary for the 3 student to pass the examination; provided, however, that the 4 student shall not be allowed to graduate from the institution, 5 or progress to more advanced civics courses, until the student 6 passes the examination. 7 NEW SUBSECTION . 44. Prohibit the institutions of higher 8 education under its control from awarding students any semester 9 hours of credit for courses that require action civics or 10 political activism. 11 Sec. 8. NEW SECTION . 280.37 Education on the holocaust. 12 1. The general assembly finds all of the following: 13 a. Recent studies have shown there to be a severe lack 14 of awareness in the state of Iowa regarding historical facts 15 about the holocaust and antisemitism, and the causes and 16 ramifications thereof. 17 b. Antisemitism remains a persistent, pervasive, and 18 disturbing problem in contemporary American society. 19 c. In order to provide students with an understanding of the 20 importance of the protection of human rights and the potential 21 consequences of discrimination against and persecution of 22 Jewish people, it is a matter of high priority that students in 23 this state be educated concerning the holocaust. 24 d. Sources of free curricula and instructional materials for 25 education on the holocaust include but are not limited to the 26 United States holocaust memorial museum; yad vashem: the world 27 holocaust remembrance center; the Illinois holocaust museum and 28 education center; and echoes and reflections, a partnership of 29 the anti-defamation league, yad vashem, and the university of 30 southern California shoah foundation. 31 2. For purposes of this section, unless the context 32 otherwise requires: 33 a. “Antisemitism” means the same as defined in section 34 216F.1. 35 -12- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 12/ 18

H.F. 2510 b. “Holocaust” means the systematic, bureaucratic, 1 state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately 2 six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies and 3 collaborators. 4 c. “Nazi” means the abbreviation for the national socialist 5 German workers’ party, a political party of the mass movement 6 known as national socialism under which its leader, Adolf 7 Hitler, came to power in 1933 and governed by totalitarian 8 methods until 1945. 9 d. “Organization” means one or more of the following 10 organizations: 11 (1) The United States holocaust memorial museum. 12 (2) Yad vashem: the world holocaust remembrance center. 13 (3) The Illinois holocaust museum and education center. 14 (4) Echoes and reflections, a partnership of the 15 anti-defamation league, yad vashem, and the university of 16 southern California shoah foundation. 17 (5) Any other entity approved for education on the holocaust 18 by the department of education. 19 3. a. No later than the school year beginning July 1, 2026, 20 the board of directors of a school district shall incorporate 21 age-appropriate and grade-appropriate instruction regarding 22 the holocaust for students in middle and high school into the 23 school district’s educational program. Such instruction shall 24 be incorporated into existing required courses and include, at 25 minimum, the following: 26 (1) The causes and ramifications of the holocaust. 27 (2) The breadth of the history of antisemitism and 28 the holocaust, including the third reich dictatorship, 29 concentration camp system, persecution of Jews and non-Jews, 30 Jewish and non-Jewish resistance, and post-World War II trials. 31 (3) The impact of personal responsibility, civic 32 engagement, and societal response in the context of the 33 holocaust. 34 (4) The connection between national, ethnic, racial, 35 -13- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 13/ 18

H.F. 2510 or religious intolerance and the subjects described in 1 subparagraphs (1) and (2). 2 (5) The leading role played by the United States and 3 the United States armed forces, including African American 4 soldiers, including but not limited to the Tuskegee airmen, 5 as well as Native American and Asian American soldiers, in 6 defeating the third reich and its allies and liberating Nazi 7 concentration camps. 8 (6) The definition, history, and actions taken in the face 9 of the holocaust. 10 b. School districts shall utilize appropriate public or 11 private materials, personnel, and other resources in developing 12 and implementing education on the holocaust in accordance with 13 this section. 14 4. No later than the school year beginning July 1, 2026, 15 the board of directors of a school district shall incorporate 16 education on the holocaust for teachers into the district 17 professional development plan developed pursuant to section 18 284.6 for teachers who provide instruction in courses into 19 which student instruction in accordance with subsection 3 is 20 incorporated. Such training shall cover the topics required 21 by subsection 3. School districts shall utilize appropriate 22 programs provided by an organization for such training. 23 Education on the holocaust provided to teachers in accordance 24 with this section shall be credited toward a teacher’s 25 individual professional development plan under section 284.6. 26 5. Annually by October 1, the department of education 27 shall submit a report to the governor and the general assembly 28 addressing the number of school districts offering education 29 on the holocaust to students and teachers in accordance with 30 this section. The department shall publish the report on the 31 department’s internet site. 32 6. This section shall not be construed to diminish or 33 infringe upon any right protected under the Constitution of 34 the State of Iowa or the first amendment to the Constitution 35 -14- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 14/ 18

H.F. 2510 of the United States. This section shall not be construed to 1 conflict with any local, state, or federal law relating to 2 discrimination. 3 Sec. 9. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 4 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 5 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 6 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 7 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 8 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 9 to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of 10 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding 11 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act 12 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school 13 districts. 14 Sec. 10. NO IMPACT ON GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS. The section 15 of this Act amending section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph 16 “b”, shall not affect the graduation requirements applicable 17 to a student enrolled in grades nine through twelve as of the 18 effective date of this Act. 19 EXPLANATION 20 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 21 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 22 This bill relates to education, including by modifying 23 provisions related to the social studies instruction provided 24 to students enrolled in grades 1 through 12 and the educational 25 programs provided by the institutions of higher education 26 under the control of the state board of regents, and requiring 27 education related to the holocaust for students and teachers in 28 school districts. 29 The bill provides that the social studies curriculum 30 provided to students enrolled in grades one through six 31 in school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter 32 schools, and innovation zone schools shall include instruction 33 related to the workings of the federal, state, and local levels 34 of government; the rights and responsibilities of citizens 35 -15- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 15/ 18

H.F. 2510 of the United States and the state of Iowa; the history of 1 the secular and religious ideals and institutions of liberty; 2 exemplary figures in western civilization, the United States, 3 and the state of Iowa; the cultural heritage of western 4 civilization, the United States, and the state of Iowa; the 5 geography of the United States and the state of Iowa; the 6 history and meaning of the United States flag and the national 7 anthem, and certain specified admirable Americans. 8 The bill makes similar changes to the social studies 9 curriculum provided to students enrolled in grades 7 through 10 12, but adds instructional requirements related to the study 11 of prominent persons and prominent writings. The bill also 12 provides that the social studies curriculum provided in 13 grades seven and eight is to include at least one semester of 14 instruction, or the trimester or quarter equivalent, in civics, 15 United States history, the history of western civilization, 16 Iowa history, and economics. The bill establishes what such 17 instruction is to include. 18 Current law requires school districts, accredited nonpublic 19 schools, and charter schools to offer and teach five units 20 of social studies in grades 9 through 12, which includes a 21 minimum of one-half unit of United States government and 22 one unit of United States history. The bill requires all 23 students to complete a minimum of one-half unit of United 24 States government, one unit of civics, two units of United 25 States history, and one unit of western civilization. The 26 bill establishes prohibitions and requirements related to this 27 instruction, including required examinations and topics of 28 instruction and prohibitions related to including forms of 29 political activism in civics instruction. The bill provides 30 that the social studies curriculum is required to incorporate 31 the study of certain specified documents that are important 32 to the history of the United States. The bill provides that 33 these changes shall not affect the graduation requirements 34 applicable to a student enrolled in grades 9 through 12 as 35 -16- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 16/ 18

H.F. 2510 of the effective date of the bill. The bill does not alter 1 the provisions of Code section 280.9A, which requires school 2 districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and 3 innovation zone schools to administer to students enrolled in 4 grades 9 through 12 the most recent version of the civics test 5 developed by the United States citizenship and immigration 6 services, and to ensure that each student receives one passing 7 score on the test as a condition of graduation. 8 The bill requires the state board of regents to direct 9 the institutions of higher education under its control to 10 adopt policies that require all students admitted to the 11 baccalaureate degree program provided by the institution to 12 take a civic literacy examination. The bill provides that, 13 if a student does not pass the examination, the institution 14 shall require the student to take a remedial civics course 15 that contains a culminating civic literacy examination. If 16 the student fails to pass this examination as well, the bill 17 provides that the student may retake the examination, but the 18 student will not be allowed to graduate from the institution, 19 or progress to more advanced civics courses, until the student 20 passes the examination. 21 The bill requires the state board of regents to prohibit 22 the institutions of higher education under its control from 23 awarding students any semester hours of credit for courses that 24 require action civics or political activism. 25 The bill requires each school board to incorporate education 26 on the holocaust for teachers into the school district 27 professional development plan for teachers who provide 28 instruction in courses into which student instruction in 29 accordance with the bill is incorporated. Such training shall 30 cover the topics specified by the bill. School districts shall 31 utilize appropriate programs provided by an organization, as 32 specified in the bill, for such training. Education on the 33 holocaust provided to teachers shall be credited toward a 34 teacher’s individual professional development plan. 35 -17- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 17/ 18

H.F. 2510 A school board shall carry out the requirements for 1 education on the holocaust for students and teachers no later 2 than the school year beginning July 1, 2026. 3 The bill requires the department of education to submit 4 an annual report to the governor and the general assembly 5 addressing the number of school districts offering education 6 on the holocaust to students and teachers in accordance with 7 the bill. 8 The bill shall not be construed to diminish or infringe upon 9 any right protected under the Constitution of the State of 10 Iowa or the first amendment to the Constitution of the United 11 States. The bill shall not be construed to conflict with any 12 local, state, or federal law relating to discrimination. 13 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 14 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of 15 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 16 district from state school foundation aid received by the 17 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 18 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate 19 funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The 20 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the 21 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state 22 mandates included in the bill. 23 -18- LSB 6892HV (1) 91 jda/jh 18/ 18