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House File 2577 - ReprintedA Bill ForAn Act 1relating to education, including requiring the boards of
2directors of school districts and the governing boards of
3charter schools to publish certain specified information,
4modifying provisions related to required social studies
5instruction, and providing civil penalties.
6BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1DIVISION I
2school district and charter school transparency
3 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsection 10, paragraph c,
4subparagraph (2), unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2022, is amended
5to read as follows:
6If, after having an opportunity to correct, if permitted, a
7school district is found to be in noncompliance with federal
8education laws including but not limited to the federal
9Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the federal
10Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §1400 et
11seq., as amended, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, chapter
12216, section 279.73, or section 279.74, or section 279.76,
13 the director shall recommend, and the state board may shall
14 do, one of the following within thirty days of the finding
15of noncompliance, or within fourteen days if the finding of
16noncompliance is for a violation of section 279.76:
17 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, Code 2022, is amended by adding the
18following new subsection:
19 NEW SUBSECTION. 19. a. If the department finds a school
20district is not in compliance with section 279.76, the
21department shall provide notice to the board of directors
22of the school district indicating the school district’s
23noncompliance. The department shall allow the board of
24directors of the school district at least fourteen days
25after receipt of the notice of noncompliance to correct the
26violation prior to taking any enforcement action pursuant to
27subsection 10, paragraph “c”. In addition to any enforcement
28action taken pursuant to subsection 10, paragraph “c”, if the
29board of directors of the school district fails to correct the
30violation within fourteen days after receipt of the notice of
31noncompliance, the department shall assess a civil penalty
32against the school district in an amount not less than five
33hundred dollars and not more than five thousand dollars.
34Revenue from the civil penalty provided in this paragraph
35shall be remitted to the treasurer of state for deposit in the
-1-1general fund of the state.
2b. The department shall provide notice to the board of
3educational examiners indicating the identity of any individual
4licensed under chapter 272 whose violation of section 279.76
5leads to enforcement action pursuant to subsection 10,
6paragraph “c”.
7 Sec. 3. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, Code 2022, is amended
8by adding the following new paragraph:
9 NEW PARAGRAPH. 0i. Be subject to and comply with the
10requirements of sections 279.76 and 279.77 in the same manner
11as a school district.
12 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 279.76 Transparency and state
13standards.
141. The board of directors of a school district shall adopt
15a policy describing the procedures for the parent or guardian
16of a student enrolled in the school district to review the
17instructional materials used in the student’s classroom.
18The policy shall include a process for the student’s parent
19or guardian to request that the student not be provided
20with certain instructional materials. The policy shall be
21prominently displayed on the school district’s internet site
22and the board of directors of the school district shall, at
23least annually, provide a written or electronic copy of the
24policy to the parent or guardian of each student enrolled
25in the school district. For purposes of this section,
26“instructional materials” means either printed or electronic
27textbooks and related core materials that are written and
28published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary
29school instruction and are required by a state educational
30agency or local educational agency for use by students in the
31student’s classes by the teacher of record. “Instructional
32materials” does not include lesson plans.
332. The school district shall provide the parent or guardian
34of a student enrolled in the school district with all of the
35following information related to the current school year:
-2- 1a. A course syllabus or written summary of the material that
2will be taught in the student’s classes.
3b. How the student’s classes meet or exceed the educational
4standards established pursuant to section 256.11.
5c. A list of all instructional materials that will be used
6in the student’s classes by the teacher of record.
73. The school district may satisfy the requirements of
8subsection 2 by providing the parent or guardian of a student
9enrolled in the school district with an option to view the
10materials described in subsection 2 electronically or by
11providing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in
12the school district with view-only access to the materials
13described in subsection 2 on the classroom management software
14platform used by the school district. By July 1, 2024, the
15school district shall satisfy the requirements of subsection
162 by providing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled
17in the school district with view-only access to the materials
18described in subsection 2 on the classroom management software
19platform used by the school district.
204. If the materials described in subsection 2 are modified
21during the school year, the teacher of record or the school
22district shall update the information maintained under
23subsection 3 on or before the end of the school week when the
24modification occurs to reflect the teacher of record’s use of
25the new materials.
265. The school district shall make available to the parent
27or guardian of a student enrolled in the school district a
28comprehensive list of all books available to students in
29libraries operated by the school district by providing a link
30on the school district’s internet site to the electronic
31catalog of the books available in the libraries operated by the
32school district. However, for school years beginning prior to
33July 1, 2025, if the school district does not use an electronic
34catalog, the school district may request a waiver from this
35requirement from the department of education.
-3- 16. The school district shall provide instructions on the
2school district’s internet site showing the procedures or
3policies in effect for the parent or guardian of a student
4enrolled in the school district to request the reconsideration
5or removal of a book that is available to students in a library
6operated by the school district. The school district shall
7display the form for requesting reconsideration or removal of a
8book prominently on the school district’s internet site.
97. The board of directors of a school district shall provide
10instructions related to how to access the information described
11in subsections 2, 3, and 5 in a notice to the parent or guardian
12of each student enrolled in the school district prior to the
13start of each school year.
148. The school district shall publish on the school
15district’s internet site information related to the training
16and professional development courses and programs offered by
17the school district in which employees of the school district
18have participated during the current school year.
199. This section shall not be construed to require the school
20district to do any of the following:
21a. Reproduce educational materials that were not created
22by a teacher employed by the board of directors of the school
23district.
24b. Distribute any educational materials in a manner that
25would infringe on the intellectual property rights of any
26person.
2710. The requirements of this section shall not apply when
28the teacher of record provides instruction pursuant to chapter
29256B.
30 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 279.77 Protocols for the selection,
31review, reconsideration, and removal of materials from libraries.
32The board of directors of a school district shall adopt
33protocols for the selection, review, reconsideration, and
34removal of materials from libraries operated by the school
35district. The protocols shall require all of the following:
-4- 11. A process for the selection, reconsideration, and
2removal of materials from libraries operated by the school
3district.
42. A process for a parent or guardian of a student enrolled
5in the school district to request that specific library
6materials not be checked out by the student.
73. The lawful and ethical use of information resources,
8including regarding plagiarism and intellectual property
9rights.
104. A process that allows the parent or guardian of a student
11enrolled in the school district to request the reconsideration
12or removal of materials from a library operated by the school
13district. The process shall be prominently displayed on the
14school district’s internet site and shall require all of the
15following:
16a. Within fifteen business days after a parent’s or
17guardian’s submission of a request to reconsider or remove
18materials from a library operated by the school district, or on
19or before a later date if the school district and the parent or
20guardian agree in writing, the school district shall conduct
21a review of the materials described in the request and make a
22recommendation to the board of directors of the school district
23regarding the materials described in the request. The school
24district shall notify the parent or guardian in writing of the
25school district’s recommendation to the board of directors of
26the school district.
27b. The board of directors of the school district shall
28act on the recommendation described in paragraph “a” at the
29next regularly scheduled meeting of the board of directors but
30no later than thirty business days after the recommendation
31is received, or on or before a later date if the board of
32directors of the school district and the parent or guardian
33agree in writing. The board of directors of the school
34district shall notify the parent or guardian in writing
35of its decision to affirm or reverse the school district’s
-5-1recommendation.
2c. The parent or guardian may appeal the decision of the
3board of directors of the school district under paragraph “b” to
4the state board of education pursuant to section 290.1.
5d. If the school district or the board of directors of
6the school district fails to act on a parent’s or guardian’s
7request to reconsider or remove materials from a library
8operated by the school district within the timeline provided
9in this section, the parent or guardian may appeal the school
10district’s or the board of directors of the school district’s
11failure to act to the state board of education. The state
12board of education shall direct the school district or the
13board of directors of the school district to perform the review
14as prescribed.
15 Sec. 6. PROCEDURE FOR THE RECONSIDERATION OR REMOVAL OF A
16BOOK FROM A SCHOOL LIBRARY. The board of directors of a school
17district shall create a document that illustrates the procedure
18for the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school
19district to request the reconsideration or removal of a book
20that is available to students in a library operated by the
21school district as required by section 279.77, as enacted by
22this division of this Act.
23DIVISION II
24SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION
25 Sec. 7. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph b, Code
262022, is amended to read as follows:
27b. (1) Five units of the social studies including
28instruction in voting statutes and procedures, voter
29registration requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting
30systems in the election process, and the method of acquiring
31and casting an absentee ballot. All students shall complete a
32minimum of one-half unit of United States government and one
33unit of United States history.
34(2) The one-half unit of United States government shall
35include the all of the following:
-6- 1(a) Thevoting procedure as described in this lettered
2paragraph and section 280.9A. The government instruction shall
3also include a
4(b) Astudy of the Constitution of the United States and the
5Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution and an assessment
6of a student’s knowledge of the Constitution and the Bill of
7Rights.
8(c) An assessment of the student’s knowledge of United
9States government and civics that includes the nature,
10purpose, structure, function, and history of the United States
11government, the rights and responsibilities of citizens of
12the United States, and important United States government and
13civic leaders. The most recent version of the civics test
14developed by the United States citizenship and immigration
15services shall be used as the assessment required by this
16subparagraph division. On or before June 30 of each year, each
17school district and nonpublic school shall submit the results
18of the assessment required by this subparagraph division to the
19department.
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2directors of school districts and the governing boards of
3charter schools to publish certain specified information,
4modifying provisions related to required social studies
5instruction, and providing civil penalties.
6BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1DIVISION I
2school district and charter school transparency
3 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsection 10, paragraph c,
4subparagraph (2), unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2022, is amended
5to read as follows:
6If, after having an opportunity to correct, if permitted, a
7school district is found to be in noncompliance with federal
8education laws including but not limited to the federal
9Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the federal
10Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §1400 et
11seq., as amended, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, chapter
12216, section 279.73, or section 279.74, or section 279.76,
13 the director shall recommend, and the state board may shall
14 do, one of the following within thirty days of the finding
15of noncompliance, or within fourteen days if the finding of
16noncompliance is for a violation of section 279.76:
17 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, Code 2022, is amended by adding the
18following new subsection:
19 NEW SUBSECTION. 19. a. If the department finds a school
20district is not in compliance with section 279.76, the
21department shall provide notice to the board of directors
22of the school district indicating the school district’s
23noncompliance. The department shall allow the board of
24directors of the school district at least fourteen days
25after receipt of the notice of noncompliance to correct the
26violation prior to taking any enforcement action pursuant to
27subsection 10, paragraph “c”. In addition to any enforcement
28action taken pursuant to subsection 10, paragraph “c”, if the
29board of directors of the school district fails to correct the
30violation within fourteen days after receipt of the notice of
31noncompliance, the department shall assess a civil penalty
32against the school district in an amount not less than five
33hundred dollars and not more than five thousand dollars.
34Revenue from the civil penalty provided in this paragraph
35shall be remitted to the treasurer of state for deposit in the
-1-1general fund of the state.
2b. The department shall provide notice to the board of
3educational examiners indicating the identity of any individual
4licensed under chapter 272 whose violation of section 279.76
5leads to enforcement action pursuant to subsection 10,
6paragraph “c”.
7 Sec. 3. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, Code 2022, is amended
8by adding the following new paragraph:
9 NEW PARAGRAPH. 0i. Be subject to and comply with the
10requirements of sections 279.76 and 279.77 in the same manner
11as a school district.
12 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 279.76 Transparency and state
13standards.
141. The board of directors of a school district shall adopt
15a policy describing the procedures for the parent or guardian
16of a student enrolled in the school district to review the
17instructional materials used in the student’s classroom.
18The policy shall include a process for the student’s parent
19or guardian to request that the student not be provided
20with certain instructional materials. The policy shall be
21prominently displayed on the school district’s internet site
22and the board of directors of the school district shall, at
23least annually, provide a written or electronic copy of the
24policy to the parent or guardian of each student enrolled
25in the school district. For purposes of this section,
26“instructional materials” means either printed or electronic
27textbooks and related core materials that are written and
28published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary
29school instruction and are required by a state educational
30agency or local educational agency for use by students in the
31student’s classes by the teacher of record. “Instructional
32materials” does not include lesson plans.
332. The school district shall provide the parent or guardian
34of a student enrolled in the school district with all of the
35following information related to the current school year:
-2- 1a. A course syllabus or written summary of the material that
2will be taught in the student’s classes.
3b. How the student’s classes meet or exceed the educational
4standards established pursuant to section 256.11.
5c. A list of all instructional materials that will be used
6in the student’s classes by the teacher of record.
73. The school district may satisfy the requirements of
8subsection 2 by providing the parent or guardian of a student
9enrolled in the school district with an option to view the
10materials described in subsection 2 electronically or by
11providing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in
12the school district with view-only access to the materials
13described in subsection 2 on the classroom management software
14platform used by the school district. By July 1, 2024, the
15school district shall satisfy the requirements of subsection
162 by providing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled
17in the school district with view-only access to the materials
18described in subsection 2 on the classroom management software
19platform used by the school district.
204. If the materials described in subsection 2 are modified
21during the school year, the teacher of record or the school
22district shall update the information maintained under
23subsection 3 on or before the end of the school week when the
24modification occurs to reflect the teacher of record’s use of
25the new materials.
265. The school district shall make available to the parent
27or guardian of a student enrolled in the school district a
28comprehensive list of all books available to students in
29libraries operated by the school district by providing a link
30on the school district’s internet site to the electronic
31catalog of the books available in the libraries operated by the
32school district. However, for school years beginning prior to
33July 1, 2025, if the school district does not use an electronic
34catalog, the school district may request a waiver from this
35requirement from the department of education.
-3- 16. The school district shall provide instructions on the
2school district’s internet site showing the procedures or
3policies in effect for the parent or guardian of a student
4enrolled in the school district to request the reconsideration
5or removal of a book that is available to students in a library
6operated by the school district. The school district shall
7display the form for requesting reconsideration or removal of a
8book prominently on the school district’s internet site.
97. The board of directors of a school district shall provide
10instructions related to how to access the information described
11in subsections 2, 3, and 5 in a notice to the parent or guardian
12of each student enrolled in the school district prior to the
13start of each school year.
148. The school district shall publish on the school
15district’s internet site information related to the training
16and professional development courses and programs offered by
17the school district in which employees of the school district
18have participated during the current school year.
199. This section shall not be construed to require the school
20district to do any of the following:
21a. Reproduce educational materials that were not created
22by a teacher employed by the board of directors of the school
23district.
24b. Distribute any educational materials in a manner that
25would infringe on the intellectual property rights of any
26person.
2710. The requirements of this section shall not apply when
28the teacher of record provides instruction pursuant to chapter
29256B.
30 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION. 279.77 Protocols for the selection,
31review, reconsideration, and removal of materials from libraries.
32The board of directors of a school district shall adopt
33protocols for the selection, review, reconsideration, and
34removal of materials from libraries operated by the school
35district. The protocols shall require all of the following:
-4- 11. A process for the selection, reconsideration, and
2removal of materials from libraries operated by the school
3district.
42. A process for a parent or guardian of a student enrolled
5in the school district to request that specific library
6materials not be checked out by the student.
73. The lawful and ethical use of information resources,
8including regarding plagiarism and intellectual property
9rights.
104. A process that allows the parent or guardian of a student
11enrolled in the school district to request the reconsideration
12or removal of materials from a library operated by the school
13district. The process shall be prominently displayed on the
14school district’s internet site and shall require all of the
15following:
16a. Within fifteen business days after a parent’s or
17guardian’s submission of a request to reconsider or remove
18materials from a library operated by the school district, or on
19or before a later date if the school district and the parent or
20guardian agree in writing, the school district shall conduct
21a review of the materials described in the request and make a
22recommendation to the board of directors of the school district
23regarding the materials described in the request. The school
24district shall notify the parent or guardian in writing of the
25school district’s recommendation to the board of directors of
26the school district.
27b. The board of directors of the school district shall
28act on the recommendation described in paragraph “a” at the
29next regularly scheduled meeting of the board of directors but
30no later than thirty business days after the recommendation
31is received, or on or before a later date if the board of
32directors of the school district and the parent or guardian
33agree in writing. The board of directors of the school
34district shall notify the parent or guardian in writing
35of its decision to affirm or reverse the school district’s
-5-1recommendation.
2c. The parent or guardian may appeal the decision of the
3board of directors of the school district under paragraph “b” to
4the state board of education pursuant to section 290.1.
5d. If the school district or the board of directors of
6the school district fails to act on a parent’s or guardian’s
7request to reconsider or remove materials from a library
8operated by the school district within the timeline provided
9in this section, the parent or guardian may appeal the school
10district’s or the board of directors of the school district’s
11failure to act to the state board of education. The state
12board of education shall direct the school district or the
13board of directors of the school district to perform the review
14as prescribed.
15 Sec. 6. PROCEDURE FOR THE RECONSIDERATION OR REMOVAL OF A
16BOOK FROM A SCHOOL LIBRARY. The board of directors of a school
17district shall create a document that illustrates the procedure
18for the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school
19district to request the reconsideration or removal of a book
20that is available to students in a library operated by the
21school district as required by section 279.77, as enacted by
22this division of this Act.
23DIVISION II
24SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION
25 Sec. 7. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph b, Code
262022, is amended to read as follows:
27b. (1) Five units of the social studies including
28instruction in voting statutes and procedures, voter
29registration requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting
30systems in the election process, and the method of acquiring
31and casting an absentee ballot. All students shall complete a
32minimum of one-half unit of United States government and one
33unit of United States history.
34(2) The one-half unit of United States government shall
35include the all of the following:
-6- 1(a) Thevoting procedure as described in this lettered
2paragraph and section 280.9A. The government instruction shall
3also include a
4(b) Astudy of the Constitution of the United States and the
5Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution and an assessment
6of a student’s knowledge of the Constitution and the Bill of
7Rights.
8(c) An assessment of the student’s knowledge of United
9States government and civics that includes the nature,
10purpose, structure, function, and history of the United States
11government, the rights and responsibilities of citizens of
12the United States, and important United States government and
13civic leaders. The most recent version of the civics test
14developed by the United States citizenship and immigration
15services shall be used as the assessment required by this
16subparagraph division. On or before June 30 of each year, each
17school district and nonpublic school shall submit the results
18of the assessment required by this subparagraph division to the
19department.
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