A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to the duties of the department of education; the discipline of students enrolled in school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools who cause violent or nonviolent disruptions; the responsibilities and powers of the department of education, school district teachers, and other educational staff related to students who have individualized education programs or plans under section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act; school district professional development plans; and authorizing teachers to request a meeting of a student’s individualized education program team.

The entire document layout was converted from a single-column format to a two-column format, which is the standard for printed Iowa legislation.

The date on the Governor's transmittal letter was updated from 2021 to 2026.

The title of the new section regarding attendance centers was updated to include the word 'pilot', clarifying that the program is a temporary trial.

Converted raw line-by-line diff markup into standard, readable legislative text with proper paragraph numbering and spacing.

Requires the Department of Education to develop training for IEP teams on least restrictive environment requirements under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Establishes a pilot program requiring one rural and one urban school district to create attendance centers for eligible students with special education needs or behavioral issues.

Grants teachers the authority to remove students causing violent or nonviolent disruptions from the classroom for a minimum of thirty minutes and requires a meeting with the principal to discuss readmission.

Defines 'nonviolent disruption' (e.g., disorderly conduct, bullying) and 'violent disruption' (e.g., threats of violence, assault) to clarify when disciplinary actions apply.

Sets the pilot program effective date as July 1, 2021, and includes a sunset provision repealing the section on July 1, 2031.

Added a requirement for the department to develop and distribute training on least restrictive environments for special education teams.

Established a new accreditation, monitoring, and enforcement process for school districts and nonpublic schools starting July 1, 2021.

Mandated annual reporting on student participation, academic performance, and feedback regarding the effectiveness of the pilot program.

Created a pilot program requiring one rural and one urban school district to establish attendance centers for students requiring special education or behavioral support.

Added provisions stating that the pilot program must be fully funded by the participating districts or by the state department.

Innovation zone schools are now included in the bill's requirements alongside school districts and charter schools.

School districts must now develop and distribute training programs for IEP team members regarding least restrictive environment requirements under federal disability laws.

A new pilot program requires one rural and one urban school district to establish attendance centers to serve eligible students from both districts.

Discipline policies now explicitly authorize teachers to remove students causing violent or nonviolent disruptions from the classroom and place them under principal supervision.

New oversight review committees must be formed within attendance centers to determine when removed students may return to their classrooms.

Policies must now require escalating levels of discipline for each incident of violence or disruption, with specific rules for suspensions, expulsions, or alternative learning environments.

When a student is removed from a classroom multiple times in a school year, a meeting must be held to create a behavioral plan and course of discipline.

The authority to return a removed student to class is now restricted; principals cannot return students without teacher consent unless an oversight committee determines it is safe.