Her story has taken on new relevancy now as Republican lawmakers in Iowa assail public school districts for making library books available that they’ve dubbed “obscene,” many written by LGBTQ authors and people of color
Teacher shortages across the state have caused Iowa lawmakers to consider changes in teacher preparation and certification. But one education leader warns the state not to reduce preparation or mentoring if you want to retain teachers.
Although the bill doesn’t mention COVID-19, the bill, in general, would ban mask requirements as well as prohibit businesses and government entities from offering incentives to be vaccinated, and include penalties for policies resulting in “forced medical treatment.”
K-12 school funding will grow to $3.6 billion, about 44 percent of the state’s general fund budget, under a package approved by the Iowa House.
Bill is eligible for consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee, but its long-term prospects are unclear.
More than 20 people spoke out for and against House File 2309, which would require any Iowa schools that get public funding to designate sports programs as one of the following: open to biological females, open to biological males or coeducational.
A lawmaker said livestreaming K-12 classes would nurture parental interest in education that increased when students were engaged in remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
But opinions diverge on other abortion-related bills now moving forward in the Iowa House.
The state education board would be required adopt standards for a public high school course on the Bible, which schools would then have the option to offer as a social studies elective, under legislation advanced Wednesday by two Iowa House Republicans.
The proposal passed through a streamlined legislative process Tuesday in the Iowa Senate, leaving it just a few legislative steps away from the governor’s pen.
Hall said he opted against challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds because he had concerns about being able to commit the necessary financial resources and because he didn't believe he had high enough name recognition in the state.
It's part of an effort to learn why Gov. Kim Reynolds took the unusual step last October of rejecting two nominees for an open judgeship.
Legislators try to “level the playing field” for citizens who visit the Capitol to talk to their representatives by prohibiting lobbying activity in the second floor rotunda between the House and Senate chambers.
As state lawmakers consider tax cuts, an Iowa senator claims, “Data has long shown the states with low or no income tax grow more quickly than states with high, punitive tax rates.” Academic consensus is less certain.
The Iowa Department of Human Services saw a 37 percent increase in dependent abuse reports from the first half of 2020 to the second half of 2021 with 5,800 cases.
Daily Newsletters