Bill > SF113

Introduced Session

This bill relates to children and students, including by modifying provisions related to a parent’s or guardian’s rights to make decisions affecting the parent’s or guardian’s child, the educational program and human growth and development curriculum provided to students enrolled in school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools, student health screenings, school district library programs, special education, and other duties of school districts and the governing boards of charter schools and innovation zone schools. The bill requires the health curriculum provided to students enrolled in grades one through six in school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to include instruction related to the characteristics of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The bill requires the human growth and development instruction provided to students enrolled in grades 7 through 12 in school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to include instruction related to the human papilloma virus, as defined by the centers for disease control and prevention of the United States department of health and human services, and the availability of a vaccine to prevent the human papilloma virus, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Current law requires that school district library programs be consistent with Code section 280.6 (religious books) and contain only age-appropriate materials. Current law establishes enforcement mechanisms related to the requirements concerning school district libraries containing only age-appropriate materials. The bill strikes these provisions. Current law requires the state board of education to establish in rule standards for school district library programs, which standards shall be designed to provide for methods to improve library collections to meet student needs, include a current and diverse collection of fiction and nonfiction materials in a variety of formats to support student curricular needs, and include a plan for annually updating and replacing library materials and equipment. The bill strikes these provisions. The bill modifies the definition of “age-appropriate” for purposes of the educational program established under Code section 256.11. Current law prohibits school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from administering or conducting a formal examination or survey of a student that is designed to assess the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health that is not required by state or federal law without acquiring the written consent of the student’s parent or guardian. The bill strikes this provision. Current law provides that a child of compulsory attendance age who is identified as requiring special education under Code chapter 256B is eligible for placement under competent private instruction. The bill modifies this provision to provide that such a child is eligible for placement under competent private instruction with prior approval of the placement by the director of special education of the area education agency of the child’s district of residence. Current Code section 279.77 requires school districts to post certain specified information on the school district’s internet site and adopt a policy describing the procedures for the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in the school district, or a resident of the school district, to review the instructional materials used in classrooms in the school district. The bill repeals Code section 279.77. Current Code section 279.78 prohibits school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from knowingly giving false or misleading information to the parent or guardian of a student regarding the student’s gender identity or intention to transition to a gender that is different than the sex listed on a student’s official birth certificate or certificate issued upon adoption. Current Code section 279.78 provides that if a student enrolled in a school district, charter school, or innovation zone school requests an accommodation that is intended to affirm the student’s gender identity from a licensed practitioner employed by the school, including a request that the licensed practitioner address the student using a name or pronoun that is different than the name or pronoun assigned to the student in the school’s registration forms or records, the licensed practitioner is required to report the student’s request to an administrator employed by the school, and the administrator is required to report the student’s request to the student’s parent or guardian. The bill repeals Code section 279.78. Current Code section 279.79 requires school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to receive the prior written consent of a student’s parent or guardian before requiring a student to take part in any survey, analysis, activity, or evaluation that reveals certain specified information. Current Code section 279.79 provides that an employee or contractor of a school district, charter school, or innovation zone school is prohibited from answering any question pertaining to any particular student enrolled in the school in any survey related to the social or emotional abilities, competencies, or characteristics of the student, unless the school satisfies certain specified requirements. The bill repeals Code section 279.79. Current Code section 279.80 prohibits school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools from providing any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through grade six. The bill repeals Code section 279.80 and makes conforming changes. Current Code section 601.1 provides that, except as provided in Code section 147.164 (gender transition procedure —— related activities —— minors —— prohibitions), a parent or guardian bears the ultimate responsibility, and has the fundamental, constitutionally protected right, to make decisions affecting the parent’s or guardian’s minor child, including decisions related to the minor child’s medical care, moral upbringing, religious upbringing, residence, education, and extracurricular activities. The bill repeals Code section 601.1.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Molly Donahue (D)*, 

Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Donahue, and Kraayenbrink. S.J. 153. (on 01/28/2025)

Official Document