House Study Bill 679 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON WHEELER) A BILL FOR An Act relating to noncontact periods for students, coaches, 1 directors, and teachers in extracurricular interscholastic 2 athletic contests and competitions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 6865YC (2) 91 mb/jh

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 280.13, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 1 2026, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 2 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (5) (a) Beginning with the 2026-2027 3 school year, the corporation, association, or organization 4 observes the noncontact periods described in this subparagraph, 5 during which a coach, director, or teacher shall not have 6 contact with students regarding extracurricular interscholastic 7 athletic contests or competitions, including athletics, 8 dance or cheerleading, band, show choir, and theater, 9 and extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests or 10 competitions do not occur. All high school students, including 11 incoming ninth grade students, shall be subject to a noncontact 12 period and shall not have contact, on or off school premises, 13 with coaches, directors, or teachers, or use school facilities 14 for extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests or 15 competitions during a noncontact period. 16 (b) The summer noncontact period must consist of a 17 continuous ten-day period occurring during the summer. 18 (c) The fall noncontact period must consist of a continuous 19 seven-day period occurring in November. 20 (d) The winter noncontact period must consist of the 21 continuous period occurring between December 25 and January 1. 22 (e) The spring noncontact period must consist of a 23 continuous seven-day period occurring during the spring break 24 period. 25 (f) Organizations that operate nonschool-sponsored 26 extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests or 27 competitions in this state shall observe the noncontact periods 28 in this subparagraph. 29 EXPLANATION 30 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 31 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 32 This bill relates to noncontact periods for students, 33 coaches, directors, and teachers in extracurricular 34 interscholastic athletic contests and competitions. 35 -1- LSB 6865YC (2) 91 mb/jh 1/ 2

H.F. _____ The bill requires an organization under Code section 1 280.13 to observe noncontact periods beginning with the 2 2026-2027 school year. An organization is an entity that 3 registers with the department of education and administers, 4 supervises, operates, adopts eligibility requirements for, and 5 schedules extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests 6 and competitions. During a noncontact period, a coach, 7 director, or teacher shall not have contact with students 8 regarding extracurricular and interscholastic athletics 9 and extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests or 10 competitions do not occur. All high school students, including 11 incoming ninth grade students, shall be subject to a noncontact 12 period and shall not have contact, on or off school premises, 13 with coaches, directors, or teachers, or use school facilities 14 for extracurricular and interscholastic athletics during a 15 noncontact period. 16 The bill requires the summer noncontact period to consist of 17 a continuous 10-day period occurring during the summer. The 18 fall noncontact period must consist of a continuous seven-day 19 period occurring in November. The winter noncontact period 20 must consist of a continuous period occurring between December 21 25 and January 1. The spring noncontact period must consist 22 of a continuous seven-day period occurring during the spring 23 break period. 24 The bill requires organizations that operate 25 nonschool-sponsored extracurricular interscholastic athletic 26 contests or competitions in the state to observe the noncontact 27 periods in the bill. 28 -2- LSB 6865YC (2) 91 mb/jh 2/ 2