A bill for an act relating to child abuse and employees and agents of public schools and nonpublic schools.

HF 186 modifies Iowa's child abuse reporting requirements for school employees. It defines "public school" and "nonpublic school" and adds school employees and agents to the category of "person responsible for a child's care," expanding who must be reported for suspected abuse. The bill requires schools to report all child abuse allegations by staff to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and to law enforcement if the abuse would constitute a criminal act. It also mandates that schools place staff under investigation on administrative leave and prohibits them from entering school property during an ongoing assessment. These changes apply directly to public and nonpublic school staff, school boards, and educational examiners.