| 1 | 1 | | House File 554 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 554 BY WICHTENDAHL , CROKEN , BAGNIEWSKI , KRESSIG , B. MEYER , JAMES , BROWN-POWERS , AMOS JR. , KURTH , WESSEL-KROESCHELL , SRINIVAS , and McBURNEY A BILL FOR An Act relating to public schools, including by modifying 1 provisions related to school district library programs and 2 requests to remove educational materials from classrooms and 3 school libraries. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 2322YH (4) 91 jda/jh |
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| 3 | 3 | | H.F. 554 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsection 9, paragraph a, 1 subparagraph (1), Code 2025, is amended to read as follows: 2 (1) Beginning July 1, 2023 2025 , each school district 3 shall employ either a qualified teacher librarian licensed 4 by the board of educational examiners or a person previously 5 employed as a librarian by a public library . The board of 6 educational examiners shall not require an applicant for a 7 teacher librarian license to have a masters degree. 8 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, subsection 9, paragraph a, 9 subparagraph (3), Code 2025, is amended by striking the 10 subparagraph. 11 Sec. 3. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, paragraph q, Code 12 2025, is amended by striking the paragraph. 13 Sec. 4. Section 256F.4, subsection 2, paragraph o, Code 14 2025, is amended by striking the paragraph. 15 Sec. 5. Section 279.77, subsection 4, Code 2025, is amended 16 by striking the subsection. 17 Sec. 6. REPEAL. Section 279.81, Code 2025, is repealed. 18 EXPLANATION 19 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 20 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 21 This bill relates to public schools, including by modifying 22 provisions related to school district library programs and 23 requests to remove educational materials from classrooms and 24 school libraries. 25 Current law requires school districts to employ either 26 a qualified teacher librarian licensed by the board of 27 educational examiners or a person previously employed as 28 a librarian by a public library. The bill modifies this 29 provision to provide that, beginning July 1, 2025, each school 30 district shall employ a qualified teacher librarian licensed by 31 the board of educational examiners. 32 Current law requires each school district to establish a 33 kindergarten through grade 12 library program that contains 34 only age-appropriate materials. Current law also establishes 35 -1- LSB 2322YH (4) 91 jda/jh 1/ 2 |
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| 5 | 5 | | H.F. 554 enforcement mechanisms related to this requirement that include 1 the issuance of written warnings by the department of education 2 and hearings before the board of educational examiners. The 3 bill strikes the enforcement mechanisms. 4 The bill strikes a provision of Code section 279.77 5 (transparency publication of school district information) 6 that provides that the identity of a parent or guardian who 7 requests the removal of a book, article, outline, handout, 8 video, or other educational material that is available to 9 students in the classroom or in a library operated by the 10 school district shall be confidential and shall not be a public 11 record subject to disclosure under Code chapter 22 (examination 12 of public records). 13 Current law prohibits school districts, charter schools, 14 and innovation zone schools from allowing a student to serve 15 on any committee that determines, or provides recommendations 16 related to, whether a material in a library operated by the 17 school should be removed. The bill strikes the provisions 18 implementing these prohibitions. 19 -2- LSB 2322YH (4) 91 jda/jh 2/ 2 |
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