On Tuesday, the House passed a bill that updates Chapter 256 in Iowa Code, which is the main education code chapter. Upon first inspection, the bill may not look like major changes, however, the actual bill removes woke requirements that have slowly but steadily crept into public education over the years. The bill continues to align the educator code chapter with what Iowans have prioritized over the last few years.
The subject of Social Studies through K-12 has emerged as a key flashpoint in the pushback against wokeness in classrooms. House Republicans have prioritized social studies for multiple years but some districts seem to not think that social studies is as important as math, science, or English language arts. That changes now. Social studies is being added to the statewide assessments. Students need to know how uniqueness of how the United States came to be, where it is today and what the future may hold.
The bill removes language that had teachers acting like mental health professionals instead of just teaching. Forcing teachers to act as therapists not only distracts from academics but confuses children. Most students, especially the youngest, are simply engaging in normal childhood behavior and asking teachers to apply therapeutic techniques in which they are not trained is likely counterproductive. Trained mental health professionals should do their job while allowing teachers to teach.
Additionally, the bill strikes multicultural, gender fair, and global perspectives language the Code. This might raise questions from some but these terms are entry point for destructive ideologies like DEI, Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other woke ideas into classrooms. When parents ask why their school is engaged in these kind of practices it often traces back to these terms being included in state law. Now they are removed.
The bill adds physical fitness and nutrition to health curriculum. Every day Iowans of all ages learn more about taking stronger control of their own fitness and nutrition. Healthier children are better and more successful students. To read the full bill, you can view it here: HF 2670
