On Wednesday, Republicans on the Iowa Senate Education Committee approved a bill that would require public and private colleges and universities that offer “a medical, nursing, or other health care-related degree” to permit unvaccinated students to complete courses requiring clinical rotations that would bring them into contact with medically vulnerable patients. SF 2095 requires a […]
Iowa schools
Posted inCommunity/News
Judge rules in favor of Iowa teacher facing dismissal for Charlie Kirk-related posts
A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Creston Community School District from moving forward with plans to fire a teacher for her comments regarding the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Last month, Melisa Crook, a high school English teacher from Creston, was informed that she was facing termination for a social […]
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Le Mars school district bars religious groups from holding events on school grounds
A northwest Iowa school district has agreed to prohibit religious organizations from holding events at schools after receiving a complaint about a Christian group holding National Day of Prayer celebrations on school grounds. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a nonprofit organization advocating for the separation of church and state and for nonreligious people, sent […]
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Foreseeing ‘irreparable harm,’ federal judge blocks most of Iowa’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law with preliminary injunction
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction late on Thursday, blocking parts of the anti-LGBTQ education bill signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May 2023. SF 496 attracted nationwide attention for its school book ban provision, but it went well beyond that, making changes to state law to effectively erase almost any acknowledgment […]
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Bill requiring Iowa schools show material from anti-abortion groups depicting ‘humanity of the unborn child’ at fertilization heads to governor’s desk
Iowa schools would have to show ultrasound videos and computer-generated graphics on fetal development in Iowa classrooms under legislation sent to the governor’s desk Monday. SF 175, approved 33-16, would require human growth and development classes for Iowa students in grades 5-12 to include ultrasound video and computer-generated renderings or animations depicting “the humanity of the […]
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Iowa loses $11 million as Trump administration cuts funding for schools and food banks to buy from local farmers
Iowa will lose $11.3 million in federal funding that would have been used to buy locally produced food for schools, childcare facilities and food banks due to cuts to USDA programs by the Trump administration. “This funding was meant to build upon the $7.8 million invested in Iowa since 2022 through similar programs,” according to […]
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Iowa lawmakers move to prioritize corn, pork and dairy in school lunches
Iowa senators advanced a bill Tuesday to implement nutrition guidelines and education in Iowa schools that prioritize the state’s “unique” food sources like corn, pork and dairy. The bill would also update school health class curriculum to include a section on nutrition and include instruction on food production and the benefits of local sourcing in […]
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New report: Iowa drops below Wisconsin, Illinois and Nebraska in education rankings
Iowa scored relatively well in education rankings among the states, but with declining test scores and on-time high school graduation rates decreasing, the state has fallen from its highs of previous years, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Sixty-seven percent of Iowa fourth-graders in 2022 were not proficient in reading, […]
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Two gun bills head to governor’s desk: one to prevent tracking of suspicious purchases, one to protect armed school staff from liability
Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have passed two bills dealing with guns this week. On Tuesday, the Iowa Senate gave final approval to a bill to prevent credit card companies from taking steps that would make it easier for law enforcement agencies to identify purchases of firearms and ammunition. A day earlier, the House voted […]
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A bill protecting ‘teachers of faith’ from having to respect students’ or parents’ preferred pronouns advances as LGBTQ rights advocates rally
“They are trying to wear us down,” Courtney Reyes of One Iowa Action said about the raft of anti-LGBTQ legislation Republicans have introduced this year in the Iowa Legislature. “We’re not going anywhere.” Reyes, the executive director of the nonprofit that advocates on behalf of LGBTQ Iowans, was speaking at a rally in the Iowa […]
Posted inCommunity/News, Statewide
GOP bill would require Iowa students be shown womb animation video based on anti-abortion ‘propaganda’
On Tuesday, Republicans on an Iowa House subcommittee voted to advance a bill that would mandate K-12 students receive instruction on fetal development based on the work of an anti-abortion group. HF 2031 would require the health curriculum in both public and accredited private elementary, middle and high schools to include a “high-definition ultrasound video, […]
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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds proposes special education changes, income tax cuts in Condition of the State speech
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she plans to continue work this year on cutting taxes and consolidating and reorganizing Iowa’s state government systems with a focus on special education, boards and commissions and mental health care providers. The governor gave her Condition of the State address in the Iowa House Tuesday evening as winter […]
