Education

passed · Iowa · House Jun 16, 2025

HF 389: A bill for an act relating to student abuse by school employees.

HF 389 creates a new process for investigating student abuse by school employees in Iowa. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) to investigate reports within 24 hours and complete investigations within 30 business days. Schools must immediately place accused employees (including teachers, vendors, and volunteers) on administrative leave during investigations, and must terminate employment if DHS confirms abuse. This directly affects public and nonpublic schools, their employees, and the DHS, replacing current procedures with a standardized, time-bound system for handling such reports.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates swift investigations and termination of abusive school employees, directly protecting student safety in educational settings.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

Track

signed · Iowa · House Jun 11, 2025

HF 516: A bill for an act relating to medical residency and fellowship positions, including priority for admission to the university of Iowa’s colleges of medicine and dentistry, and hospitals and clinics.

HF 516 creates priority access for residency and fellowship positions at the University of Iowa’s colleges of medicine and dentistry, directly affecting UI’s medical programs and their affiliated hospitals and clinics. The bill requires state-funded training programs to prioritize applicants from these UI institutions when filling medical residency and fellowship roles. Now law after Governor signed it on June 11, 2025, this policy change aims to strengthen UI’s medical education pipeline without altering broader admission standards for other institutions.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationPrioritizes University of Iowa medical students for residency positions, strengthening its medical education pipeline and directly supporting higher education at a specific institution.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill prioritizes University of Iowa medical residency programs to strengthen healthcare workforce pipeline, directly advancing medical education and future provider capacity per its summary.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · Senate Jun 6, 2025

SF 288: A bill for an act relating to students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth who attend state institutions of higher education governed by the board of regents and community colleges.

SF 288 requires public colleges and universities governed by the Board of Regents and community colleges to provide academic accommodations for students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth. The law specifically allows these students to withdraw from courses without academic penalty if pregnancy or childbirth prevents them from continuing their studies. Institutions must also provide clear information about available support services, including health care and childcare resources. This policy directly affects pregnant and postpartum students enrolled at these specific public higher education institutions.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates academic accommodations and support services for pregnant/students, directly enhancing educational access and equity in higher education institutions.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates institutions to provide health care resource information, improving student access to health services for pregnancy-related needs.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · Senate Jun 6, 2025

SF 175: A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curricula provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades five through twelve.

SF 175 requires public school districts, charter schools, and other accredited schools to add specific content about pregnancy and fetal development to health and human growth classes for students in grades 5 through 12. This policy change directly affects all schools in the state and their students in those grade levels by mandating the inclusion of this topic in existing health education. The bill does not alter funding or create new programs but updates curriculum standards to include this subject matter. It was passed by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor on June 6, 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates inclusion of pregnancy/fetal development in health curricula for grades 5-12, enhancing curriculum standards per educational requirements.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · House Jun 2, 2025

HF 784: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to mathematics instruction, practitioner preparation programs, and the duties of the director of the department of education, and including effective date provisions.

HF 784 modifies Minnesota's education laws to change mathematics instruction standards, update teacher training program requirements, and clarify the duties of the state education director. It directly affects K-12 schools, math teachers, and educator preparation programs by setting new guidelines for how math is taught and how teachers are trained. Key provisions include requiring specific math teaching methods and updating the process for approving teacher education programs. The bill also includes provisions for when these changes take effect. It was signed into law by the governor in June 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationModifies math instruction standards and updates teacher training programs to strengthen educational quality and teacher preparation, directly advancing K-12 education standards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · Senate May 27, 2025

SF 278: A bill for an act relating to robotics extracurricular activities, including requiring the department of education to provide technical assistance to school districts related to chartering career and technical student organizations related to robotics and authorizing high school athletic organizations to sponsor interscholastic contests related to robotics.

SF 278 requires the state Department of Education to provide technical assistance to school districts seeking to establish robotics-focused career and technical student organizations (CTSOs). It also authorizes high school athletic associations to sponsor interscholastic robotics competitions. The bill directly affects public high schools, students participating in robotics programs, and school administrators managing career and technical education. Key provisions create a structured pathway for schools to develop robotics clubs and integrate them into existing athletic or career-focused competition frameworks.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires DOE technical assistance for robotics CTSOs and authorizes competitions, expanding career-focused extracurricular opportunities in K-12 education.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · House May 27, 2025

HF 835: A bill for an act relating to school personnel training, including by implementing provisions related to emergency care planning, authorizations for assisting, and limitations of liability concerning students with epilepsy or seizure disorder, and requiring the department of education to convene a health care-related training for school personnel work group.

HF 835 requires schools to train personnel on emergency care for students with epilepsy or seizure disorders. It mandates specific emergency care planning, authorizes staff to assist students during seizures, and limits their liability when acting in good faith. The bill also directs the Department of Education to form a work group to develop health care training standards for school staff. These changes directly affect school personnel and students with seizure disorders across the state.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates school staff training for student seizure emergencies, enhancing safety and access for students with epilepsy, directly supporting educational environment95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · House May 27, 2025

HF 865: A bill for an act modifying provisions related to the harassment or bullying of students enrolled in school districts or accredited nonpublic schools.

HF 865 modifies how Minnesota school districts and accredited nonpublic schools address student harassment or bullying. It updates existing policies to clarify procedures for reporting, investigating, and responding to incidents. The bill directly affects students and school staff by changing the framework for handling these cases within schools. As signed into law on May 27, 2025, it establishes concrete requirements for school districts to follow regarding harassment and bullying prevention and response.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill strengthens student safety protocols by clarifying bullying/harassment reporting and response procedures in schools, directly protecting students and improving school environment.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · House May 6, 2025

HF 295: A bill for an act relating to accreditation of postsecondary educational institutions, prohibiting adverse action by accrediting agencies against certain postsecondary educational institutions for compliance with state law, providing remedies, and including effective date provisions.

This bill, known as the "Accreditation Autonomy Act," primarily affects Iowa's public colleges and universities and their accrediting agencies. It updates several state laws to recognize any federally recognized accreditor for various educational programs and institutions, rather than just a specific commission. The bill prohibits accrediting agencies from taking negative actions against public institutions for complying with Iowa state law or refusing to violate it. If an accrediting agency violates this provision, the affected institution, with the Attorney General's authorization, can pursue a civil lawsuit for injunctive relief and financial damages.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill protects public institutions from adverse accreditation actions for complying with state law, enhancing institutional autonomy and stability in higher education.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Iowa · House May 6, 2025

HF 471: A bill for an act modifying provisions related to school concussion and brain injury policies.

This bill modifies Iowa's existing law concerning school concussion and brain injury policies. It specifically expands the definition of "licensed health care provider" for the purpose of clearing students to return to extracurricular interscholastic activities after experiencing a concussion or brain injury. Under this bill, a person who holds a doctorate in psychology with specialty training in neuropsychology or concussion management would be added to the list of professionals who can provide such clearance. This change directly affects students participating in school activities and the range of medical professionals involved in their return-to-play protocols.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill expands who can clear students to return to activities after concussion, protecting student health and ensuring safe participation in school programs.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands the definition of licensed healthcare providers to include neuropsychologists, improving access to specialized care for concussion management in schools.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education