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Iowa House passes ban on LGBTQ instruction, school books that aren't 'age appropriate'

The Iowa House passed a sweeping education bill Tuesday that would ban gender identity and sexual orientation instruction in K-6 and restrict which books are allowed in schools.

Iowa House passes ban on LGBTQ instruction, school books that aren't 'age appropriate'

The Iowa House passed a sweeping education bill Tuesday that would ban gender identity and sexual orientation instruction in K-6 and restrict which books are allowed in schools.

HE WILL HAVE AN UPDATE FOR US COMING UP TONIGHT ON KCCI EIGHT NEWS AT NINE ON METV AND THE NEWS AT TEN. A MAJOR CHANGE TO IOWA’S STATE GOVERNMENT IS NOW IOWA LAW. GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS SIGNED HER INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF TRUST BETWEEN PARENTS AND SCHOOLS AND BRING ABOUT AN INCREDIBLE WORKING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO. LET’S FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON BUILDING TRUSTED PARTNERSHIPS. I’M SORRY TO SAY THAT MOST OF THIS BILL DOES THE EXACT OPPOSITE. TH
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Iowa House passes ban on LGBTQ instruction, school books that aren't 'age appropriate'

The Iowa House passed a sweeping education bill Tuesday that would ban gender identity and sexual orientation instruction in K-6 and restrict which books are allowed in schools.

In a 55-42 vote, Iowa House lawmakers passed a sweeping education bill Tuesday. It would restrict LGBTQ topics in elementary schools and what books are allowed in classrooms and school libraries. The Iowa Senate passed a version of the same bill last month. The plan originally came from Gov. Kim Reynold's office, who advocated for more school transparency and parental rights during her re-election campaign last fall. Watch: Central Iowa parents react to education reform billIowa House lawmakers made significant changes to the governor's bill, adding in new sections about safe school responses to student seizures and legal responses to bullying and harassment at school. Republican House members also tweaked pieces on parental notification regarding students' gender identity and removed sections on history curriculum. House Republicans removed a piece of the bill that would have required schools to maintain and publish a list of every person that comes in contact with a child in the district. It also no longer includes a requirement for high school students to pass a citizenship test in order to graduate.The House version adds the word "graphic" to the bill's definition of what "age-appropriate" content does not include: "graphic descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act." The bill still needs full Senate approval before it could head to the governor's desk to be signed into law.Here's what's in the amended Iowa House Republican's version of SF 496:Restrictions on topics involving gender identity and sexual orientation The bill would ban school districts from providing any instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-6.Iowa public schools would not be able to provide any program, curriculum, material, test, survey, questionnaire, activity, announcement, promotion, or instruction of any kind relating to gender identity or sexual orientation in grades K-6. School districts would not be able to "knowingly give false or misleading information" to a parent about their child's gender identity or intention to transition to a gender different than the sex on their child's birth certificate.School districts would be required to notify a parent if their child requests "an accommodation intended to affirm the student's gender identity." That includes a request to go by a different name or pronoun at school that's different from "the school district's registration forms or records."Removing books from schoolsSchool districts must maintain a K-12 library program that "contains only age-appropriate materials and supports student achievement goals of the total school curriculum."Books that contain "graphic descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act" would not be allowed in school libraries or classrooms. Each school district is required to post on its online site a list of all books found in each school library. They also have to post the process for parents to request that any "educational material" be removed from schools and the procedures for how the district reviews removal requests. School districts must create a policy for parents to request their child not read or view certain instructional materials, including textbooks and related core materials.Students would not be allowed to sit on book removal review committees. Health curriculum Schools would no longer be required to teach kids about HPV and the availability of a vaccine to prevent HPV as a part of the statewide health curriculum. Instruction on "acquired immune deficiency syndrome" would also no longer be required.School bullying and harassment The bill would allow students to transfer to another school within their district if there's proof they were bullied or harassed by another student. A school district would be required to notify a student's parent within 24 hours after witnessing another student harass, bully or physically injure their child.Parental rightsThe bill would give parents the "ultimate responsibility over" and grant parents "the fundamental, constitutionally protected right to make decisions related to their minor child's medical care, moral upbringing, religious upbringing, residence, education, and extracurricular activities."All restrictions on those rights would be subject to strict scrutiny.

In a 55-42 vote, Iowa House lawmakers passed a sweeping education bill Tuesday. It would restrict LGBTQ topics in elementary schools and what books are allowed in classrooms and school libraries.

The Iowa Senate passed a version of the same bill last month. The plan originally came from Gov. Kim Reynold's office, who advocated for more school transparency and parental rights during her re-election campaign last fall.

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Watch: Central Iowa parents react to education reform bill

Iowa House lawmakers made significant changes to the governor's bill, adding in new sections about safe school responses to student seizures and legal responses to bullying and harassment at school. Republican House members also tweaked pieces on parental notification regarding students' gender identity and removed sections on history curriculum.

House Republicans removed a piece of the bill that would have required schools to maintain and publish a list of every person that comes in contact with a child in the district. It also no longer includes a requirement for high school students to pass a citizenship test in order to graduate.

The House version adds the word "graphic" to the bill's definition of what "age-appropriate" content does not include: "graphic descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act."

The bill still needs full Senate approval before it could head to the governor's desk to be signed into law.

Here's what's in the amended Iowa House Republican's version of SF 496:

Restrictions on topics involving gender identity and sexual orientation

The bill would ban school districts from providing any instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-6.

Iowa public schools would not be able to provide any program, curriculum, material, test, survey, questionnaire, activity, announcement, promotion, or instruction of any kind relating to gender identity or sexual orientation in grades K-6.

School districts would not be able to "knowingly give false or misleading information" to a parent about their child's gender identity or intention to transition to a gender different than the sex on their child's birth certificate.

School districts would be required to notify a parent if their child requests "an accommodation intended to affirm the student's gender identity." That includes a request to go by a different name or pronoun at school that's different from "the school district's registration forms or records."

Removing books from schools

School districts must maintain a K-12 library program that "contains only age-appropriate materials and supports student achievement goals of the total school curriculum."

Books that contain "graphic descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act" would not be allowed in school libraries or classrooms.

Each school district is required to post on its online site a list of all books found in each school library. They also have to post the process for parents to request that any "educational material" be removed from schools and the procedures for how the district reviews removal requests.

School districts must create a policy for parents to request their child not read or view certain instructional materials, including textbooks and related core materials.

Students would not be allowed to sit on book removal review committees.

Health curriculum

Schools would no longer be required to teach kids about HPV and the availability of a vaccine to prevent HPV as a part of the statewide health curriculum. Instruction on "acquired immune deficiency syndrome" would also no longer be required.

School bullying and harassment

The bill would allow students to transfer to another school within their district if there's proof they were bullied or harassed by another student.

A school district would be required to notify a student's parent within 24 hours after witnessing another student harass, bully or physically injure their child.

Parental rights

The bill would give parents the "ultimate responsibility over" and grant parents "the fundamental, constitutionally protected right to make decisions related to their minor child's medical care, moral upbringing, religious upbringing, residence, education, and extracurricular activities."

All restrictions on those rights would be subject to strict scrutiny.