Last week, the Iowa State Senate passed one of the nation’s most sweeping reform bills to strengthen parental rights in education. Unfortunately, recent modifications to that bill, Senate File 496, inadvertently rendered one of its central pillars not only toothless, but counterproductive—a measure that will now be used to hide inappropriate content from parents rather than shine a light on it.
Fortunately, lawmakers in the Iowa House of Representatives still have the chance to correct course to restore Gov. Kim Reynolds’ vision of making Iowa the strongest state in the nation when it comes to empowering parents with the tools to fight radical indoctrination.
In praising this bill before the full senate earlier this week, Sen. Ken Rozenboom declared:
“Do you believe parents of K-12 students should have full awareness of books and materials that are in the classrooms and libraries? I do, and I think most Iowa parents do. This bill simply requires that all school districts publish the following on their website: a list of all materials used to teach students…and a list of books available to students in the classroom or library.”
But amid a flurry of amendments, not only were the online transparency provisions omitted, but schools were given a new tool to hide controversial content even when parents ask about it.
Indeed, under the revised language of SF496, parents have the right to request the removal of any “book, article, outline, handout, video or other educational material” inappropriately assigned to students. But the remaining transparency provisions now state that even if a parent does proactively ask to review the instructional materials being used, schools must only divulge materials that are required by the state or school district, and only if those materials were explicitly created for use in school instruction. Under this definition, virtually any internet video or article a teacher decides to show to students (that wasn’t officially sanctioned by the district or published specifically for school instruction) can be hidden from parents even when they ask about it.
This one-two punch—the missing online transparency provisions and the shielding of requested content—will make it virtually impossible for parents to know whether they are aware of all of the materials being pushed in front of their students.
While the bill does prohibit teaching related to gender identity in lower grades, it would thus do little to alert parents to the avalanche of other highly political topics that will pervade their students’ lessons, whether dealing with BLM protests, the 1619 Project, or issues around “social justice”—which nearly half of teachers nationally now report infusing into classroom instruction.
At the urging of Gov. Reynolds, the Iowa House passed a measure last session to require districts to post online “a list of all instructional materials that will be used in the student’s classes by the teacher of record.” It is essential that its members restore such a provision into the otherwise robust requirements of SF496.
It’s no wonder that 71% of Iowa voters agree parents should be able to compare school curricula before having to enroll their child in a public school, as online academic transparency would allow. As other states have shown, forcing parents to jump through hoops and fill out forms or public records requests to know what is being taught simply has not worked.
A state fiscal note suggested the online transparency provisions would have required extra time on the part of teachers. But as school administrators and teachers across the country have already made clear, that content could be listed online using simple free resources like Google Docs and actually save teachers time compared to the hours they typically spend weekly scouring the internet for resources to use in the classroom—by helping them see what their most effective peers are already using and listing online.
Gov. Reynolds and the Iowa Legislature now have a historic opportunity to build on the academic transparency provisions already implemented in states like Florida, and to enact the national gold standard in empowering parents. It is imperative that they unleash full sunlight into public K-12 schools, not accidentally blindfold parents.
Matt Beienburg is the Director of Education Policy at the Goldwater Institute. He also serves as director of the institute’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy.
Author: Matt Beienburg
Matt Beienburg is the Director of Education Policy at the Goldwater Institute. He also serves as director of the institute’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy.
GOOD JOB GOVERNOR!!!!!!!