HF 2490—Public Notice Requirements: This bill would require districts to post a public notice in a place designated for notices that is visible at all times, like the door or window of an administrative building, and posting the notice on the district website. If a posted agenda is changed, the district must mark the agenda as “amended” and identify which agenda item has been changed. 

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. This is best practice and already being done by most districts, so it won’t be a large burden moving forward. The bill passed the House by a vote of 88-1. 

HF 2517/SF 2430—Flags at Half-Staff at School Buildings: This bill would require districts to fly the U.S. and Iowa flags at half-staff if directed to do so by a proclamation from the governor.  

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. Districts are already doing this, but we want to ensure that an innocent omission, rather than purposeful, is not punished. HF 2517 passed the House Local Government Committee and SF 2430 passed the Senate by a vote of 38-9. 

SF 2299—Payment for Failed Concurrent Enrollment Course: This bill would require a student or their parent to pay the school district the amount they spent on a concurrent enrollment course if the student fails the course.  

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We have concerns that this may dissuade students from enrolling in these courses but understand there should be accountability when students decide to take a community college class. It passed the Senate by a vote of 32-16.  

HF 2493—Five-Year-Old Eligibility for Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP): This bill would allow a five-year-old, with a birthday between March 15 and September 15 of the school year in which they would be five, to enroll in preschool through the SWVPP. If the child attended preschool as a four-year-old and was counted for state, they would not be counted for state funding purposes as a five-year-old. 

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We think the SWVPP should prioritize four-year-olds but understand the need for some five-year-olds to have another year before kindergarten that isn’t available if a district doesn’t have a transitional kindergarten program. The bill passed the House by a vote of 88-2   

HF 2294—Filing Complaints with IPIB: This bill extends the time period from 60 to 90 days for someone to file a complaint with the Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB) for an alleged violation of open meetings or open records laws.  

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. It passed the House by a vote of 89-0.  

HF 2330—Acknowledgement of Public Records Requests: This bill would require school districts to “promptly” respond to public records requests to provide an approximate date by which the records will be made available and inform the requester of any expected delays. 

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. It passed the House by a vote of 89-0.  

SF 2218—Verification of Employee Identity and Authorization to Work: The bill would require the Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE) to verify that an applicant for initial licensure is legally authorized to work in the U.S. Additionally, school districts must verify that employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S.  

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We appreciate the Senate amending the bill to the current “authorized to work” rather than the original “lawful presence” language, as this is a significant difference when referring to employment. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0. 

SF 2219—Excused Absences for FFA and 4-H: This bill requires school districts to grant students an excused absence for FFA and 4-H activities. Districts must allow students to make up the classwork missed during these absences.  

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We think schools are already accommodating for these activities. We don’t like adding specific reasons for absences in code. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 46-0.   

HF 2547/SF 2223—Concurrent Enrollment: This bill removes the language that summer concurrent enrollment classes will be paid for subject to an appropriation. Instead, the summer courses will be included for weighting in the full school year’s calculation of students who took concurrent enrollment courses. 

IASB is registered for the bill. We are supportive of all opportunities for students to take advantage of concurrent enrollment courses. SF 2223 has passed the Senate Education Committee and HF 2547 passed the House by a vote of 90-0.  

SF 2224—Computer Science: This bill would allow courses in a variety of areas, including technology, engineering, or manufacturing, to meet the computer science offer and teach requirement. An amendment on the floor requires the instruction to include information on artificial intelligence. 

IASB is registered for the bill. This offers flexibility to districts in how they meet the requirement to offer computer science instruction. The bill, as amended, passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0.  

SF 274/HF 2247—Requiring Schools to Accept Cash at Events: This bill requires school districts to accept cash at athletic and extracurricular events hosted in their district.  

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We would prefer that this is a local decision and caution that dealing with cash can lead to misplaced funds or fraud. HF 2247 passed the House Education Committee and SF 274 has passed the Senate by a vote of 44-0.