HF 785—Charter School Board Members: This bill allows one charter school board member to be a non-Iowa resident but requires that they are a U.S. citizen.     

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. Although we believe all charter school board members should be Iowa residents, just as school board members live in the communities they represent, this change doesn’t fundamentally impact how charter schools are run or change any transparency or accountability standards for charter schools. The bill passed the House by a vote of 60-36 and the Senate by a vote of 32–15. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law on April 25, 2025. 

HF 782—Cell Phone Policies: This bill is the governor’s proposal to require all school districts to implement a policy to restrict cell phone use during instructional time. The bill would require policies to include:      

• Devices that would be available to use for instructional purposes.      

• How parents can communicate with students during the school day.      

• How parents can communicate with students during an emergency.      

• Protocols the school will follow to securely store a student’s device.      

• Discipline that will be used if a student uses their device during classroom instruction or an assessment.      

• A process for a parent to petition for the student to have access to their device during the day if it is for a legitimate reason related to the student’s physical or mental health.      

• Accommodation for students with an individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan.      

The Department of Education will give guidance on the cell phone policy and how school districts must update their emergency operations plans to incorporate changes because of it. The Department of Education must provide model policies by May 1, 2025. 

IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We know many districts have already taken the time to thoughtfully implement cell phone policies that work in their district, and we were hoping new legislation would not require them to make changes to those policies. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 49-0 and passed the House by a vote of 92-4. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law on April 30, 2025. 

SF 171—Reorganization and Dissolution Timeline: This bill extends the timeline for completing a school district dissolution or reorganization to allow the process to be completed without repeating in steps that have already been taken, like required public hearings and votes.    

IASB is registered in support of the bill because it helps Orient-Macksburg finish their dissolution process after July 1 of this year. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 44-0 and the House by a vote of 92-0. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law on March 12, 2025. 

SF 275—Purple Star Initiative: This bill allows the Department of Education to establish a Purple Star School Initiative that recognizes schools that have demonstrated a commitment to serving military-connected students.   

IASB is registered in support of the bill because it’s a good initiative to recognize schools’ effort in this area. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 41-0 and passed the House by a vote of 96-0. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law on May 2, 2025. 

SF 277—Chronic Absenteeism Fixes: This bill aims to correct and fix some of the issues that have come up because of last year’s legislation aimed at addressing chronic absenteeism.       

The bill directs the Department of Education to develop model policy to provide county attorneys, which should ensure more consistent enforcement. It removes the requirement that schools send a letter by certified mail to parents or guardians when a child becomes chronically absent, instead requiring it to be sent by email, ordinary mail, or delivered in person. It adds exemptions to the chronic absenteeism policy, including for military service or attending a wedding or funeral. The bill also clarifies that the consequences for being chronically absent, including a school engagement meeting, will only be initiated if the absences are impacting a student’s academic achievement.

IASB is registered in support of the bill. We know there are other fixes that might be required to improve the effectiveness of the new chronic absenteeism law, but this is a step in the right direction. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0 and passed the House by a vote of 93-0. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law on May 6, 2025. 

SF 278—Robotics Organizations: This bill requires the Department of Education to provide resources to school districts to ensure their robotics clubs and organizations meet federal standards. This will allow those clubs to receive federal money to support their organization.    

IASB is registered in support of the bill because it offers federal funding and opportunities for students interested in robotics. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 46-0 and passed the House by a vote of 95-0. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law on May 27, 2025. 

SF 574—Retention Fees for Public Improvement Contracts: This bill will allow school districts and other public entities to withhold 3%, rather than the current 5%, in retainage fees during a construction project. These fees are designed to ensure that work is completed on a project.      

IASB is registered undecided on the bill, but we appreciate that school districts will still have recourse with contractors through a retainage fee. It passed the Senate by a vote of 45-4 and passed the House by a vote of 90-4. Governor Reynolds signed the bill into law on April 25, 2025.