Bill To Expand School Employee Definition Approved by Subcommittee
A House subcommittee has given its approval to House Study Bill 527.
The bill makes sure that employees or persons providing services to a charter school or nonpublic school are included in the definition of “school employee” as it relates to laws regarding the sexual exploitation of a student.
Specifically, the bill clarifies that a person employed by, performing volunteer services for, or providing contract services to a nonpublic elementary or secondary school or charter school are included in the definition of “school employee.”
The bill is now ready for consideration by the full House Judiciary committee.
Bills of Interest:
(HF - House File, HSB - House Study Bill, SF - Senate File, SSB - Senate Study Bill)
SF 2025 - School Bathrooms (M) - This bill requires elementary and secondary public and nonpublic schools to designate and allow the use of multiple occupancy toilet facilities only by persons of the same biological sex. The bill prohibits a person from entering a school single and multiple occupancy toilet facility that does not correspond with the person’s biological sex. The bill provides that such designations and prohibitions do not 6 constitute unfair or discriminatory practices in violation of the Iowa civil rights Act.
Referred to Education
SF 2024 - Gender Identity Curriculum (M) - This bill establishes that the curriculum utilized by a school district or accredited nonpublic school in accordance with the state’s educational standards for elementary students shall not include instruction relating to gender identity. However, the prohibition does not apply to the curriculum provided to a student enrolled in grades one through six if the school district or accredited nonpublic school obtains the prior written consent of the student’s parent or guardian. If a school does not obtain a parent’s or guardian’s written consent, the student may opt out of instruction relating to gender identity. Gender identity, for purposes of the bill, means a gender-related identity of a person, regardless of the person’s assigned sex at birth.
Referred to Education
SF 2003 - At Risk Student Funding (M) - This bill modifies the maximum modified supplemental amount calculation (funds for a school district’s program for at-risk students, secondary students who attend alternative programs and alternative schools, or returning dropouts and dropout prevention) for fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2022, but before July 1, 2026, by increasing the 2.5 percent ratio figure by .5 percent each fiscal year until the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and each fiscal year thereafter, when the maximum ratio percentage is set at 5 percent for all school districts.
Subcommittee: Cournoyer, Goodwin and Trone Garriott
SF 168 - Nonpublic School Special Services (M) - This bill requires that certain services and support that an area education agency (AEA) must provide to a nonpublic school student must, if the parent or guardian of the student receiving the services grants permission, be provided on the nonpublic school premises.
Subcommittee: Cournoyer, Giddens, Johnson
SSB 3003 - Mental Health Professional Loan Program (M) - This bill establishes the mental health professional loan repayment program within the college student aid commission. The bill provides that the commission is to administer the mental health professional loan repayment program for purposes of providing loan repayments for mental health professionals who agree to practice in an eligible practice area.
The bill limits the annual amount of loan repayment a mental health professional may receive to $8,000 for an eligible loan. The bill provides that the total loan repayments from the commission to a mental health professional shall not exceed $40,000.
“Mental health professional” means a non prescribing individual who holds at least a master’s degree from an eligible institution in a mental health field, including psychology, counseling and guidance, social work, marriage and family therapy, or mental health counseling.
Subcommittee: Cournoyer, Quirmbach and Sweeney
HF 2008 - At Risk Student Funding (M) - This bill modifies the maximum modified supplemental amount calculation (funds for a school district’s program for at-risk students, secondary students who attend alternative programs and alternative schools, or returning dropouts and dropout prevention) for fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2022, but before July 1, 2026, by increasing the 2.5 percent ratio figure by .5 percent each fiscal year until the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and each fiscal year thereafter, when the maximum ratio percentage is set at 5 percent for all school districts.
Approved by subcommittee
HSB 531 - MH Bed Expansion (M) - This bill appropriates to the Department of Human Services for FY 2022-2023 an amount necessary to expand the bed capacity of the Mental Health Institute at Cherokee by an additional 12 adult beds and 6 adolescent beds, and to expand the bed capacity of the Mental Health Institute at Independence by an additional 20 adult beds and 8 adolescent beds.
Subcommittee; Fry, Brown-Powers and A Meyer
HSB 527 - Counselor, Therapist or School Employee Exploitation (F) - The bill adds a person employed by, performing volunteer services for, or providing contract services to a nonpublic elementary or secondary school or charter school to the definition of “school employee”.
The bill adds a person currently enrolled in or attending a charter school, or a person who was a student enrolled in or attending a charter school within 30 days of any sexual exploitation by a school employee in violation of Code section 709.15(3) to the definition of “student”.
Approved by subcommittee
