Bill > HSB156

Introduced Session

This bill modifies provisions related to school district requirements to publish information regarding the school district’s policies and procedures and educational materials available to students in the school district. Current Code section 279.77 requires school districts to adopt a policy describing the procedures for the parent or guardian of a student, or a resident of the school district, to review the instructional materials used in classrooms in the school district. Current Code section 279.77 defines “instructional materials” to mean either printed or electronic textbooks and related core materials that are written and published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary school instruction and are required by a state educational agency or local educational agency for use by students in the student’s classes by the teacher of record. The bill modifies the definition of “instructional materials” to include any book, article, audio or visual clip, internet site, digital material, or instructional handout that is assigned, distributed, or otherwise presented to students in any course for which students receive academic credit. Current Code section 279.77 requires school districts H.F. _____ to make available on the school district’s internet site a comprehensive list of all books available to students in libraries operated by the school district. The bill provides this provision to require school districts to also make available on the school district’s internet site a list of all instructional materials used at each attendance center in the school district in the current school year, organized by subject area, grade level, and teacher utilizing the instructional material. The list must include the title and author of the instructional material, or the organization associated with the production of the instructional material, and if the instructional material is accessed on the internet, the internet address where the instructional material may be accessed. The bill establishes other requirements related to this list and alternative ways in which a school district may comply with these requirements. The bill provides that only the director of the department of education, the attorney general, a county attorney, a student, or a student’s parent or guardian may bring a civil action against the board of directors of a school district to compel the school district to comply with the provisions of Code section 279.77. The bill establishes a process such persons must follow before bringing such a civil action that includes the submission of written complaints, opportunities for the school district to remedy potential violations of Code section 279.77, and written responses from the school district describing actions taken. If a person has satisfied all of the requirements associated with the process, the person may bring a civil action, including an action for a writ of mandamus, and if the person prevails, the court is required to award reasonable court costs and attorney fees to the person. The bill provides that the board of directors of a school district’s failure to obey orders of the court issued pursuant to Code section 279.77 renders the board members who fail to obey the orders of the court in contempt of the court and H.F. _____ subject to penalties provided for that offense. The bill authorizes an attorney employed or retained by the board of directors of a school district to request a formal opinion of the attorney general or a county attorney related to whether the actions taken by the school district are in compliance with Code section 279.77. The bill provides that Code section 279.77 shall not be construed to require a school district to separately include the individual components of textbooks or other instructional materials that are produced as a single volume in any required list; include in any required list instructional materials that are used at an attendance center that is utilized by less than 30 students, instructional materials that are used only for individualized special education instruction as part of a student’s individualized education program, or instructional materials that are used only for the instruction of a student who has a plan under section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act; or update any required list when the internet address where an instructional material may be accessed no longer functions or to account for people retiring or otherwise discontinuing employment at the school district. The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid received by the school district under Code section 257.16. The specification is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state mandates included in the bill.

Committee Categories

No sponsors listed

Other Sponsors (1)

Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 929. (on 03/12/2025)

Official Document