House
File
554
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
554
BY
WICHTENDAHL
,
CROKEN
,
BAGNIEWSKI
,
KRESSIG
,
B.
MEYER
,
JAMES
,
BROWN-POWERS
,
AMOS
JR.
,
KURTH
,
WESSEL-KROESCHELL
,
SRINIVAS
,
and
McBURNEY
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
public
schools,
including
by
modifying
1
provisions
related
to
school
district
library
programs
and
2
requests
to
remove
educational
materials
from
classrooms
and
3
school
libraries.
4
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
5
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554
Section
1.
Section
256.11,
subsection
9,
paragraph
a,
1
subparagraph
(1),
Code
2025,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
(1)
Beginning
July
1,
2023
2025
,
each
school
district
3
shall
employ
either
a
qualified
teacher
librarian
licensed
4
by
the
board
of
educational
examiners
or
a
person
previously
5
employed
as
a
librarian
by
a
public
library
.
The
board
of
6
educational
examiners
shall
not
require
an
applicant
for
a
7
teacher
librarian
license
to
have
a
master’s
degree.
8
Sec.
2.
Section
256.11,
subsection
9,
paragraph
a,
9
subparagraph
(3),
Code
2025,
is
amended
by
striking
the
10
subparagraph.
11
Sec.
3.
Section
256E.7,
subsection
2,
paragraph
q,
Code
12
2025,
is
amended
by
striking
the
paragraph.
13
Sec.
4.
Section
256F.4,
subsection
2,
paragraph
o,
Code
14
2025,
is
amended
by
striking
the
paragraph.
15
Sec.
5.
Section
279.77,
subsection
4,
Code
2025,
is
amended
16
by
striking
the
subsection.
17
Sec.
6.
REPEAL.
Section
279.81,
Code
2025,
is
repealed.
18
EXPLANATION
19
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
20
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
21
This
bill
relates
to
public
schools,
including
by
modifying
22
provisions
related
to
school
district
library
programs
and
23
requests
to
remove
educational
materials
from
classrooms
and
24
school
libraries.
25
Current
law
requires
school
districts
to
employ
either
26
a
qualified
teacher
librarian
licensed
by
the
board
of
27
educational
examiners
or
a
person
previously
employed
as
28
a
librarian
by
a
public
library.
The
bill
modifies
this
29
provision
to
provide
that,
beginning
July
1,
2025,
each
school
30
district
shall
employ
a
qualified
teacher
librarian
licensed
by
31
the
board
of
educational
examiners.
32
Current
law
requires
each
school
district
to
establish
a
33
kindergarten
through
grade
12
library
program
that
contains
34
only
age-appropriate
materials.
Current
law
also
establishes
35
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enforcement
mechanisms
related
to
this
requirement
that
include
1
the
issuance
of
written
warnings
by
the
department
of
education
2
and
hearings
before
the
board
of
educational
examiners.
The
3
bill
strikes
the
enforcement
mechanisms.
4
The
bill
strikes
a
provision
of
Code
section
279.77
5
(transparency
——
publication
of
school
district
information)
6
that
provides
that
the
identity
of
a
parent
or
guardian
who
7
requests
the
removal
of
a
book,
article,
outline,
handout,
8
video,
or
other
educational
material
that
is
available
to
9
students
in
the
classroom
or
in
a
library
operated
by
the
10
school
district
shall
be
confidential
and
shall
not
be
a
public
11
record
subject
to
disclosure
under
Code
chapter
22
(examination
12
of
public
records).
13
Current
law
prohibits
school
districts,
charter
schools,
14
and
innovation
zone
schools
from
allowing
a
student
to
serve
15
on
any
committee
that
determines,
or
provides
recommendations
16
related
to,
whether
a
material
in
a
library
operated
by
the
17
school
should
be
removed.
The
bill
strikes
the
provisions
18
implementing
these
prohibitions.
19
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