School board authority in Iowa

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Iowa state law makes school boards responsible for governing and managing public school districts in the state. This article details the powers and duties Iowa law grants to school boards for governing school districts and the constraints on that authority with regard to certain topics.

HIGHLIGHTS

Iowa school boards have the authority to remove books from school libraries.

State law requires schools to notify parents if a student requests to be referred to by a different name or pronouns, or if a student is seen being bullied or harassed.

State law prohibits instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-6.

Iowa is one of 26 states that has a Parents' Bill of Rights.

Types of legal and contractual constraints on school board authority

See also: Local school board authority across the 50 states

This page presents the results from Ballotpedia research on school board authority and constraints on that authority in all 50 states as of 2024. School board authority comes from state constitutions and state statutes and can be interpreted or specified by state regulations or court decisions. In addition to authority over district budgets, the selection of a superintendent, and administrative responsibilities, school boards have varying levels of authority over district policy on other topics depending on the state and district.

There are several sources of legal and contractual constraints on school board policy-making authority which also vary by state or by district.

• State laws commonly restrict or mandate school board policies on certain topics.
  • Parents' Bills of Rights, which at least 26 states have in statute to some degree, limit the policies school boards are allowed to pass.
• State rules, guidance, and funding incentives can constrain, mandate, or influence school board policies. These include regulation from state education commissions and superintendents, executive orders from governors, or grant conditions.
• Federal and state court rulings can dictate whether or not school district policies are compatible with state law or federal law.
• The federal government, largely through its Department of Education, can promulgate regulations or guidance that influence district policy or make funding contingent on certain policies.
• Collective bargaining agreements between school districts and teacher unions can create contractual constraints on the policies school boards can pass.
• State school board associations can influence school board policy or, in some cases. enter into contracts with school boards that can limit school board policy.

This page features the following sections:

• Iowa law on school boards' authority over district policy. This section features the statutes in Iowa law that establish, enable, or define local school district boards.
• Constraints on Iowa school boards' authority. This section provides an overview of constraints on the school boards' authority in Iowa. It contains information on the constraints by the following topics:
  • Curriculum requirements
  • Curriculum restrictions
  • Book bans, removals, and restrictions
  • Parental notification
  • Discipline
  • School board elections
  • Public school choice and open enrollment
  • Charter schools
  • Cellphone bans
• Collective bargaining agreements
• Parents' bill of rights
• How does Iowa compare to other states?
• Noteworthy Events. This section tracks noteworthy events related to school boards' authority in Iowa.

School board authority over district policy in Iowa

Enabling or authorizing statute for the boards of school districts in Iowa

See also: Enabling statute

Iowa Code § 274.1 creates school district boards and gives them authority to operate according to state law:

“ Each school district shall continue a body politic as a school corporation, unless changed as provided by law, and as such may sue and be sued, hold property, and exercise all the powers granted by law, and shall have exclusive jurisdiction in all school matters over the territory therein contained. ”

Iowa school boards' powers and duties

Iowa public school boards of directors are given broad authority to administer the public schools in Iowa. Iowa Code § 274.3 expands on the broad powers held by the boards of directors of the school districts:

“ 1. The board of directors of a school district shall operate, control, and supervise all public schools located within its district boundaries and may exercise any broad and implied power, not inconsistent with the laws of the general assembly and administrative rules adopted by state agencies pursuant thereto, related to the operation, control, and supervision of those public schools. 2. Notwithstanding subsection 1, the board of directors of a school district shall not have power to do any of the following: a. Levy any tax unless expressly authorized by the general assembly. b. Charge elementary and secondary school students or the students’ families a mandatory fee except as expressly authorized by the general assembly. c. Adopt or enforce a policy that would unreasonably interfere with the duties and responsibilities of a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency. 3. This chapter, chapter 257, chapter 257B, and chapters 275 through 301, and other statutes relating to the boards of directors of school districts and to school districts shall be liberally construed to effectuate the purposes of subsection 1. 4. If the power or authority of a school district conflicts with the power and authority of a municipal corporation, county, or joint county-municipal corporation government, the power and authority exercised by a municipal corporation, county, or joint county-municipal corporation government shall prevail within its jurisdiction. ”

Discretionary duties

In addition to the broad authority school boards are charged with, Iowa Code chapter 279 lists at least 11 discretionary duties the school boards can, but do not have to, exercise. These include:

• Creating traffic and parking policies
• Expelling a student for the possession of tobacco, alcohol, or controlled substances
• Exercising specific authorities over the school calendar
• Offering and terminating contracts for extracurricular sports
• Purchasing insurance, school supplies, books, and other equipment
• Employing an attorney to represent the school
• Operating or contract child care programs
• Entering into contracts with community colleges to provide college credit to high school students
• Choosing which fund to use to pay for asbestos reduction projects
• Adopting a dress code that prohibits gang-related clothing items
• Creating nonprofit school organizations

“ 279.8A Traffic and parking. 1. The board may make necessary rules to provide for the policing, control, and regulation of traffic and parking of vehicles and bicycles on school grounds. The rules may provide for the use of institutional roads, driveways, and grounds; registration of vehicles and bicycles; the designation of parking areas; the erection and maintenance of signs designating prohibitions or restrictions; the installation and maintenance of parking control devices; and assessment, enforcement, and collection of reasonable penalties for the violation of the rules. 2. Rules made under this section may be enforced under procedures adopted by the board. Penalties may be imposed for violation of the rules, including but not limited to a reasonable monetary penalty. The rules made under this section may also be enforced by the impoundment of vehicles and bicycles for violation of the rules. The board shall establish procedures for the determination of controversies in connection with the imposition of penalties. The procedures must require giving notice of the violation and the penalty prescribed and providing the opportunity for an administrative hearing. 3. The board may contract with a city or county to enforce rules made under this section by ordinance of the city or county, and shall consult with local government transportation officials to ensure that rules made pursuant to this section are not in conflict with city or county parking and traffic ordinances. 279.9 Use of tobacco, alcoholic beverages, or controlled substances. The rules adopted under section 279.8 shall include rules prohibiting the use of tobacco and the use or possession of alcoholic liquor, wine, or beer or any controlled substance as defined in section 124.101, subsection 5, by any student of the schools. The board may suspend or expel a student for a violation of a rule described under this section. 279.10 School year — beginning date — exemption. 1. The school year for each school district and accredited nonpublic school shall begin on July 1 and the school calendar shall begin no sooner than August 23 and no later than the first Monday in December. The school calendar shall include not less than one hundred eighty days or one thousand eighty hours of instruction during the calendar year, of which not more than five days or thirty hours of instruction may be delivered primarily over the internet except as otherwise provided in section 256.43 or in rules adopted by the state boardof education pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 32. The board of directors of a school district and the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall determine the school start date for the school calendar in accordance with this subsection and shall set the number of days or hours of required attendance for the school year as provided in section 299.1, subsection 2, but the board of directors of a school district shall hold a public hearing on any proposed school calendar prior to adopting the school calendar. If the board of directors of a district or the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school extends the school calendar because inclement weather caused the school district or accredited nonpublic school to temporarily close during the regular school calendar, the school district or accredited nonpublic school may excuse a graduating senior who has met district or school requirements for graduation from attendance during the extended school calendar. A school corporation may begin employment of personnel for in-service training and development purposes before the date to begin elementary and secondary school. 2. The board of directors of a school district and the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school may apply to the department of education for authorization to maintain a year-round school calendar at an attendance center or school for students in prekindergarten through grade eight. However, a board shall hold a public hearing on any proposal relating to authorization for a year-round school calendar prior to submitting an application under this subsection to the department of education for approval. a. The initial application for a year-round school calendar shall be submitted to the department of education not later than November 1 of the preceding school year. The department shall notify the board or the authorities of the approval or denial of an application not later than the next following January 15. The application may be approved for one or two years at a time. A board or the authorities in charge may reapply to renew an authorization by November 1 of the year prior to expiration of the authorization. b. An attendance center or school authorized to maintain a year-round calendar must serve all students attending the school and shall not be limited based on student achievement or based on the trait or characteristic of the student as defined in section 280.28. c. An attendance center or school authorized to maintain a year-round school calendar under this subsection shall provide at least ten days of instruction or the hourly equivalent during eleven of the twelve months of the school year. The period of time between instructional days shall not exceed six weeks. d. A year-round school calendar authorized pursuant to this subsection is exempt from the school start date specified in subsection 1. 279.19A Extracurricular contracts. 1. School districts employing individuals to coach interscholastic athletic sports shall issue a separate extracurricular contract for each of these sports. An extracurricular contract offered under this section shall be separate from the contract issued under section 279.13. An extracurricular contract shall be in writing, and shall state the number of contract days for that sport, the annual compensation to be paid, and any other matters as may be mutually agreed upon. The contract shall be for a single school year. 2. a. If the school district offers an extracurricular contract for a sport for the subsequent school year to an employee who is currently performing under an extracurricular contract for that sport, and the employee does not wish to accept the extracurricular contract for the subsequent year, the employee may resign from the extracurricular contract within twenty-one days after it has been received. b. If the provisions of an extracurricular contract executed under this section conflict with a collective bargaining agreement negotiated under chapter 20 and effective when the extracurricular contract is executed or renewed, the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement shall prevail. 3. The board of directors of a school district may require an employee who has resigned from an extracurricular contract to accept, as a condition of employment under section 279.13, the extracurricular contract for no longer than one additional school year if all the following conditions apply: a. The employee has accepted a teaching contract issued by the board pursuant to section 279.13 for the subsequent school year. b. The board of directors has made a good faith effort to fill the coaching position with a licensed or authorized replacement. c. The position has not been filled by June 1 of the year in which the employee resigned the extracurricular contract. 4. As a condition of employment under section 279.13, the board of directors of a school district may require an employee who has been issued a teaching contract pursuant to section 279.13 to accept an extracurricular contract for which the employee is licensed, or may require as a condition of employment that an applicant for a teaching contract under section 279.13 accept an extracurricular contract if all of the following conditions apply: a. The individual who held the coaching position during the year has not been issued a teaching contract by the board pursuant to section 279.13 for the subsequent school year, or has been terminated from the extracurricular contract. b. The board of directors has made a good faith effort to fill the coaching position with a licensed or authorized replacement. c. The position has not been filled by June 1 of the year in which the vacancy occurred for the interscholastic athletic sport. 5. a. Within seven days following June 1 of that year, the board shall notify the employee in writing if the board intends to require the employee to accept an extracurricular contract for the subsequent school year under subsection 3 or 4. If the employee believes that the board did not make a good faith effort to fill the position the employee may appeal the decision by notifying the board in writing within ten days after receiving the notification. b. The appeal shall state why the employee believes that the board did not make a good faith effort to fill the position. If the parties are unable to informally resolve the dispute, the parties shall attempt to agree upon an alternative means of resolving the dispute. c. If the dispute is not resolved by mutual agreement, either party may appeal to the district court. 6. Subsections 3, 4, and 5 do not apply if the terms of a collective bargaining agreement provide otherwise. 7. An extracurricular contract may be terminated prior to the expiration of that contract for any lawful reason following an informal, private hearing before the board of directors. The decision of the board to terminate an extracurricular contract shall be final. 8. a. A termination proceeding regarding an extracurricular contract shall not affect a contract issued pursuant to section 279.13. b. A termination of a contract entered into pursuant to section 279.13, or a resignation from that contract by the teacher, constitutes an automatic termination or resignation of the extracurricular contract in effect between the same teacher and the employing school board. 9. For the purposes of this section, “good faith effort” includes advertising for the position in an appropriate publication, interviewing applicants, and giving serious consideration to those licensed or authorized, and otherwise qualified, applicants who apply. 10. The licensure requirements of subsections 3, 4, and 9 shall not apply to community colleges. 279.28 Insurance — supplies — textbooks. The board of directors may provide and pay out of the general fund to insure school property a sum as necessary, and may purchase dictionaries, library books, including books for the purpose of teaching vocal music, maps, charts, and apparatus for the use of the schools as deemed necessary by the board of directors for each school building under its charge; and may furnish schoolbooks to indigent children when they are likely to be deprived of the proper benefits of the school unless so aided. 279.37 Employment of counsel. A school corporation may employ an attorney to represent the school corporation as necessary for the proper conduct of the legal affairs of the school corporation. 279.48 Equipment purchase. 1. The board of directors of a school corporation may purchase equipment, and may negotiate and enter into a loan agreement and issue a note to pay for the equipment subject to the following terms and procedures: a. The note must mature within five years, or the useful life of the equipment, whichever is less. b. The note may bear interest at a rate to be determined by the board of directors in the manner provided in section 74A.3, subsection 1, paragraph “a”. Chapter 75 is not applicable. c. The board of directors shall provide for the form of the agreement and note. d. Principal and interest on the note must be payable from budgeted receipts in the debt service fund for each year of a period of up to five years. 2. The total of scheduled annual payments of principal or interest due and payable from current budgeted receipts or future budgeted receipts with respect to all loan agreements authorized under this section or section 285.10, subsection 7, paragraph “b”, must not exceed ten percent of the last authorized budget of the school corporation 279.49 Child care programs. 1. The board of directors of a school corporation may operate or contract for the operation of a program to provide child care to children not enrolled in school or to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade six before and after school, or to both. Programs operated or contracted by a board shall be licensed by the department of health and human services under chapter 237A as a child care center unless the program is exempt from licensure under chapter 237A. Notwithstanding requirements of the department of health and human services regarding space allocated to child care centers licensed under chapter 237A, a program operated or contracted by a board which is located on school grounds may define alternative spaces, in policy and procedures, appropriate to meet the needs of children in the program if the primary space is required for another use. 2. a. The person employed to be responsible for a program operated or contracted by a board shall collaborate with that board in the operation of that program. b. An employee of a program operated or contracted by a board shall be subject to a background investigation at least once every five years after the employee’s initial date of hire. 3. The facilities housing a program operated under this section shall comply with standards adopted by the director of the department of inspections, appeals, and licensing for school buildings under chapter 10A, subchapter V, part 2. In addition, if a program involves children who are younger than school age, the facilities housing those children shall meet the fire safety standards which would apply to that age of child in a child care facility licensed by the department of health and human services. 4. The board may establish a fee for the cost of participation in a child care program authorized under this section. The fee shall be established pursuant to a sliding fee schedule based upon staffing costs and other expenses and a family’s ability to pay. If a fee is established, the parent or guardian of a child participating in a program shall be responsible for payment of any agreed upon fee. The board may require the parent or guardian to furnish transportation of the child. 5. The board may utilize or make application for program subsidies from any existing child care funding streams. 6. The components of programs established under this section for child care shall include, but are not limited to, parental involvement in program design and direction, activities designed to further children’s physical, mental, and emotional development, and a parental education component to educate parents about the physical, mental, and emotional development of children. 279.50A Educational standards — agreements with community colleges. 1. A school district may enter into an agreement with a community college under which the community college may offer, or provide a community college-employed instructor to teach, any unit, and if the unit of coursework under the agreement meets the requirements specified in section 257.11, subsection 3, paragraph “b”, subparagraphs (2) through (7), the unit offered shall be deemed to meet the education program requirement pertaining to the unit under section 256.11, subsection 5, if applicable. The provisions of this subsection are applicable only if all of the following conditions are met: a. The unit is offered during the regular school day. b. The unit is made accessible by the school district to all eligible pupils. 2. Pupils enrolled in a unit of coursework offered pursuant to subsection 1 are not eligible for supplementary weighting under section 257.11, subsection 3. 279.52 Optional funding of asbestos projects. 1. The board of directors may pay the actual cost of an asbestos project from any funds in the general fund of the district, funds received from the physical plant and equipment levy,or moneys obtained through a federal asbestos loan program, to be repaid from any of the funds specified in this section over a three-year period. 2. For the purpose of this section, “cost of an asbestos project” includes the costs of inspection and reinspection, sampling, analysis, assessment, response actions, operations and maintenance, training, periodic surveillance, developing of management plans and recordkeeping requirements relating to the presence of asbestos in school buildings of the district and its removal or encapsulation. 89 Acts, ch 135, §77; 2000 Acts, ch 1072 279.58 School dress code policies. 1. The general assembly finds and declares that the students and the administrative and instructional staffs of Iowa’s public schools have the right to be safe and secure at school. Gang-related apparel worn at school draws attention away from the school’s learning environment and directs it toward thoughts or expressions of violence, bigotry, hate, and abuse. 2. The board of directors of a school district may adopt, for the district or for an individual school within the district, a dress code policy that prohibits students from wearing gang-related or other specific apparel if the board determines that the policy is necessary for the health, safety, or positive educational environment of students and staff in the school environment or for the appropriate discipline and operation of the school. Adoption and enforcement of a dress code policy is not a violation of section 280.22. 279.62 Nonprofit school organizations. The board of directors of a school district may take action to adopt a resolution to establish, and authorize expenditures for the operational support of, an entity or organization for the sole benefit of the school district and its students that is exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The entity or organization shall reimburse the school district for expenditures made by the school district on behalf of the entity or organization. Prior to establishing such an entity or organization, the board of directors shall hold a public hearing on the proposal to establish such an entity or organization. Such an entity or organization shall maintain its records in accordance with chapter 22, except that the entity or organization shall provide for the anonymity of a donor at the written request of the donor. The board of directors of a school district shall annually report to the local community the administrative expenditures, revenues, and activities of the entity or organization established by the school district pursuant to this section. ”

Constraints on Iowa school boards' authority

This section tracks constraints on school boards specific to Iowa as of September 2024. It features constraints on school boards' authority from state law, collective bargaining agreements, and Parents' Bills of Rights.

Constraint on Iowa school boards' authority by topic

This section features constraints on school boards' authority on policies related to the following topics:

• Curriculum requirements
• Curriculum restrictions
• Book bans, removals, and restrictions
• Parental notification
• Discipline
• School board elections
• Public school choice and open enrollment
• Charter schools
• Cellphone bans

Curriculum requirements

Iowa requires the following specific topics to be included in the district's curriculum:

• In grades 1-6:
  
  • Characteristics of communicable diseases
    
  • Computer science
    

• In grades 7-8:
  
  • Age-appropriate and research-based information on sexually transmitted disease
    

• In grades 9-12:
  
  • Civics
    
  • Health education
    
  • Personal financial literacy
    
  • Computer science
    
  • CPR
    

Curriculum restrictions

Iowa state law prohibits instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-6. The text of the law as it applies to schools is as follows:

“ Sec. 16. NEW SECTION. 279.80 Sexual orientation and gender identity — prohibited instruction. 1. As used in this section: a. "Gender identity" means the same as defined in section 216.2. b. "Sexual orientation" means the same as defined in section 216.2. 2. A school district shall not provide any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through grade six. ”

Iowa state law also prohibits instruction that teaches the superiority of one sex or race above others or that teaches that one sex or race is inherently sexist, racist, or oppressive in school districts, post-secondary education institutions, and in the trainings of government agencies and entities.

“ Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 261H.7 Race and sex stereotyping —training by institution prohibited. 1. For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires; ... c. "Specific defined concepts" includes all of the following: (1) That one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex. (2) That the United States of America and the state of Iowa are fundamentally or systemically racist or sexist. (3) That an individual, solely because of the individual's race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. (4) That an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of the individual's race or sex. (5) That members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex. (6) That an individual's moral character is necessarily determined by the individual's race or sex. (7) That an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex. (8) That any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of that individual's race or sex. (9) That meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to oppress another race. (10) Any other form of race or sex scapegoating or any other form of race or sex stereotyping. ... Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 279.74 Race and sex stereotyping —training and curriculum prohibited. 1. For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires: ... c. "Specific defined concepts" means the same as defined in section 261H.7. 2. Each school district may continue training that fosters a workplace and learning environment that is respectful of all employees and students. However, the superintendent of each school district shall ensure that any curriculum or mandatory staff or student training provided by an employee of the school district or by a contractor hired by the school district does not teach, advocate, encourage, promote, or act upon specific stereotyping and scapegoating toward others on the basis of demographic group membership or identity. This subsection shall not be construed as preventing an employee or contractor who teaches any curriculum or who provides mandatory training from responding to questions regarding specific defined concepts raised by participants in the training. 3. School district diversity and inclusion efforts shall discourage students of the school district from discriminating against another by political ideology or any characteristic protected under the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-352, as amended, and applicable state law. Each school district shall prohibit its employees from discriminating against students or employees by political ideology or any characteristic protected under the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. No. 88-352, as amended, and applicable state law. 4. This section shall not be construed to do any of the following; a. Inhibit or violate the first amendment rights of students or faculty, or undermine a school district's duty to protect to the fullest degree intellectual freedom and free expression. The intellectual vitality of students and faculty shall not be infringed under this section. b. Prevent a school district from promoting racial, cultural, ethnic, intellectual, or academic diversity or inclusiveness, provided such efforts are consistent with the provisions of this section, chapter 216, and other applicable law. c. Prohibit discussing specific defined concepts as part of a larger course of academic instruction. d. Create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the state of Iowa, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. e. Prohibit a state or federal court or agency of competent jurisdiction from ordering a training or remedial action containing discussions of specific defined concepts as a remedial action due to a finding of discrimination, including discrimination based on race or sex. f. Prohibit the use of curriculum that teaches the topics of sexism, slavery, racial oppression, racial segregation, or racial discrimination, including topics relating to the enactment and enforcement of laws resulting in sexism, racial oppression, segregation, and discrimination. ”

Federal law and guidance

Federal executive orders:

President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order (E.O.) on January 29, 2025, entitled Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, prohibiting federal funding that directly or indirectly facilitates K-12 instruction regarding what the bill calls gender or equity ideology. It directs federal executive agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, to create a plan to relinquish federal funds from school or teacher certification programs that include what the E.O. called gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology. The order defined discriminatory equity ideology as ideology that treats individuals as members of preferred or disfavored groups rather than as individuals and minimizes agency, merit, and capability in favor of immoral generalizations.

Book bans, removals, and restrictions

Iowa school boards have the authority to remove books from school libraries, with limitations and requirements in state law. Senate File (SF) 496 previously required school boards to remove materials that contain descriptions or depictions of sex acts, but the law was ruled unconstitutional on March 25, 2025.

Iowa state law also requires that a list of materials available to students be made available to parents, requires that each school district create and publish a policy for the handling of requests to remove materials from school libraries, and requires that the identities of parents that request materials be removed from school be kept confidential.

Iowa had the highest incidence of book removals or access restrictions besides Florida in 2023 and 2024, according to PEN America, an organization that tracks book removals or access restrictions in schools and libraries. They reported that there were 3,671 instances of book removals or access restrictions across 117 districts in the state between January 2023 and October 2024.

“

12.3(10) Standards for library programs. a. The board of directors of each school district shall establish a kindergarten through grade 12 library program to support the student achievement goals of the total school curriculum as referenced in Iowa Code section 256.11(9). The board of directors of each school district will adopt policies to address selection and reconsideration of school library materials; confidentiality of student library records; and legal and ethical use of information resources, including plagiarism and intellectual property rights. b. Each school district shall establish a kindergarten through grade 12 library program that is consistent with Iowa Code section 280.6 and with the educational standards established in this chapter and that supports the student achievement goals of the total school curriculum. In complying with the requirements in Iowa Code section 279.77(3), the district, if it does not make available a comprehensive list of all books available to all students in libraries offered by the district on its website in real time, must post an updated list at least two times per calendar year. Sec. 2. Section 256.11, subsections 2, 3, 4, and 9, Code 2023, are amended to read as follows: (edits to unrelated subsections excluded for brevity...) 9. a. (1) Beginning July 1, 2006, each school district shall have a qualified teacher librarian who shall be licensed by the board of educational examiners under chapter 272. Each school district shall establish a kindergarten through grade twelve library program that is consistent with section 280.6 and with the educational standards established in this section, contains only age-appropriate materials, and supports the student achievement goals of the total school curriculum. (2) If, after investigation, the department determines that a school district or an employee of a school district has violated the provisions of subparagraph (1) related to library programs containing only age-appropriate materials, beginning January 1, 2024, the school district or employee of the school district, as applicable, shall be subject to the following; (a) For the first violation of subparagraph (1), the department shall issue a written warning to the board of directors of the school district or the employee, as applicable. (b) (i) For a second or subsequent violation of subparagraph (1), if the department finds that a school district knowingly violated subparagraph (1), the superintendent of the school district shall be subject to a hearing conducted by the board of educational examiners pursuant to section 272.2, subsection 14, which may result in disciplinary action. (ii) For a second or subsequent violation of subparagraph (1), if the department finds that an employee of the school district who holds a license, certificate, authorization, or statement of recognition issued by the board of educational examiners knowingly violated subparagraph (1), the employee shall be subject to a hearing conducted by the board of educational examiners pursuant to section 272.2, subsection 14, which may result in disciplinary action. b. The state board shall establish in rule a definition of and standards for an articulated sequential kindergarten through grade twelve media program. c. A school district that entered into a contract with an individual for employment as a media specialist or librarian prior to June 1, 2006, shall be considered to be in compliance with this subsection until June 30, 2011, if the individual is making annual progress toward meeting the requirements for a teacher librarian endorsement issued by the board of educational examiners. A school district that entered into a contract with an individual for employment as a media specialist or librarian who holds at least a master's degree in library and information studies shall be considered to be in compliance with this subsection until the individual leaves the employ of the school district. Sec. 4. Section 256.11, Code 2023, is amended by adding the following new subsection: NEW SUBSECTION. 19. For purposes of this section: a. (1) "Age-appropriate" means topics, messages, and teaching methods suitable to particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents, based on developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for the age or age group. "Age-appropriate" does not include any material with descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act as defined in section 702.17. (2) Notwithstanding subparagraph (1), for purposes of the human growth and development curriculum, "age-appropriate" means the same as defined in section 279.50. b. "Research-based" means the same as defined in section 279.50. Sec. 13. NEW SECTION. 279.77 Transparency — publication of school district information. 1. Each school district shall publish all of the following information related to the current school year on the school district's internet site: a. A detailed explanation of the procedures or policies in effect for the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in the school district to request the removal of a book, article, outline, handout, video, or other educational material that is available to students in the classroom or in a library operated by the school district. Each school district shall prominently display the detailed explanation on the school district's internet site. b. A detailed explanation of the procedures or policies in effect to request the review of decisions made by the board of directors of the school district, including the petition process established pursuant to section 279.SB. 2. The board of directors of each school district shall adopt a policy describing the procedures for the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in the school district or a resident of the school district to review the instructional materials used in classrooms in the school district. The policy shall include a process for a student's parent or guardian to request that the student not be provided with certain instructional materials. The policy shall be prominently displayed on the school district's internet site and the board of directors of the school district shall, at least annually, provide a written or electronic copy of the policy to the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in the school district. For purposes of this section, "instructional materials" means either printed or electronic textbooks and related core materials that are written and published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary school instruction and are required by a state educational agency or local educational agency for use by students in the student's classes by the teacher of record. "Instructional materials" does not include lesson plans. 3. Each school district shall make available on the school district's internet site a comprehensive list of all books available to students in libraries operated by the school district. However, for school years beginning prior to July 1, 2025, if the school district does not use an electronic catalog, the school district may request a waiver from this requirement from the department of education. 4. The identity of a parent or guardian who requests the removal of a book, article, outline, handout, video, or other educational material that is available to students in the classroom or in a library operated by the school district pursuant to subsection 1, paragraph "a", shall be confidential and shall not be a public record subject to disclosure under chapter 22. 5. This section shall not be construed to require a school district to do any of the following: a. Reproduce educational materials that were not created by a person employed by the board of directors. b. Distribute any educational materials in a manner that would infringe on the intellectual property rights of any person.

”

Case law:

• The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed local school boards' authority to remove school books in Island Trees Sch. Dist. v. Pico by Pico in 1982 but held that school library books are distinct from curricular books, which school boards have more authority to regulate. The ruling held that school boards are charged with inculcating community values and may make curricular decisions accordingly. In Zykan v. Warsaw Community School Corp. in 1980, the Supreme Court held that school boards had discretionary power over curriculum, textbooks, and other educational matters but could not impose religious creeds or "permanently the student’s ability to investigate matters that arise in the natural course of intellectual inquiry,” according to the opinion.

• U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher blocked on March 25, 2025, a portion of Iowa state law requiring school districts to remove all books from public school libraries that contain descriptions of what the law defines as sex acts. Locher ruled that the law was overly broad and encroached on citizens' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights in that it does not attempt to evaluate a book's literary, political, artistic, or scientific value before removing it from school libraries. Publishing company Penguin Random House, authors John Green, Jodi Picoult, Malinda Lo, Laurie Halse Anderson, and the Iowa State Education Association filed the original lawsuit on November 30, 2023, against Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), challenging SF 496, which required school libraries to remove books that depict sex acts and Locher placed an injunction on the law on December 29, 2023. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the injunction on August 9, 2024, remanding it to Locher for further consideration; Locher reinstated the injunction on March 25, 2025.

Federal guidance

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights rescinded all guidance against the removal of books and no longer employed a coordinator to investigate local district book removals as of January 24, 2025. The Department said they believed removing books from school libraries was a question of parental and community judgment, not civil rights, and that the office had no role as it related to book removal.

Parental notification

Iowa requires parental notification in the following circumstances:

• If a student requests to be referred to by a different name or by different pronouns
• If a student is seen being bullied or harassed

Iowa requires written parental consent in the following circumstances:

• To administer:
  • An invasive physical examination of a student,
  • A student health screening that is not required by state or federal law, or
  • A formal examination or survey of a student that is designed to assess the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health that is not required by state or federal law.
• To administer a survey that would reveal information concerning:
  • The political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent or guardian,
  • Mental or psychological problems of the student or the student’s family,
  • Sexual behavior, orientation, or attitudes,
  • Illegal, antisocial, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior,
  • Critical appraisals of other individuals with whom the student has close familial relationships,
  • Legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of attorneys, physicians, or ministers,
  • Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent or guardian, or
  • Income, except when required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such a program.

Case law: The United States Supreme Court ruled in Mahmoud v. Taylor on June 27, 2025, that Montgomery County Board of Education's introduction of LGBTQ+ related storybooks, along with its decision to withhold opt outs, placed an unconstitutional burden on the parents’ rights to the free exercise of their religion.

Discipline

See also: How does Iowa compare to other states on school board authority over disciplinary policy?

Iowa is one of 47 states that gives school boards authority over district disciplinary policy.

The text of Iowa Code § 279.66 is as follows:

“ 279.66 Discipline and personal conduct standards. 1. The board of directors of a school district shall review and modify existing policies related to student discipline and student conduct that are designed to promote responsible behavior on school property and at school functions in order that the policy shall govern the conduct of students, teachers and other school personnel, and visitors; provide opportunities for students to exercise self-discipline and practice cooperative classroom behavior; and encourage students and practitioners to model fairness, equity, and respect. The policy shall specify the responsibilities of students, parents and guardians, and practitioners in creating an atmosphere where all individuals feel a sense of respect, safety, and belonging, and shall set forth the consequences for unacceptable behavior. The policy shall be published in the student handbook. 2. The board of directors of a school district shall include or reference in the student handbook guidance published pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 63, by the department of education for parents, guardians, and community members who have concerns about school districts or their governing boards. ”

Federal guidance

President Donald Trump (R) issued an Executive Order (E.O.) titled Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies on April 23, 2025, that required the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, to issue guidance local educational agencies (LEAs) and State educational agencies (SEAs) regarding "school discipline and their obligations not to engage in racial discrimination under Title VI in all contexts, including school discipline," according to the order. The first Trump administration rescinded guidance issued in 2014 under the Obama administration that suggested that higher rates of discipline for racial minorities could be evidence of discrimination and could cause schools to lose federal funding. Trump's 2025 E.O. argued that the guidance "effectively required schools to discriminate on the basis of race by imposing discipline based on racial characteristics, rather than on objective behavior alone." Though the guidance was rescinded in 2018, the U.S. Department of Education continued to collect data regarding the racial breakdown of disciplinary actions taken across the country. Trump's 2025 E.O. prohibits schools from engaging in what it called racial discrimination in the application of school discipline.

School board elections

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing in Iowa, How does Iowa compare to other states on school board authority over election timing?

Iowa is one of 42 states in which school boards do not have authority over the timing of school board elections because state or municipal laws determine school board election dates.

Click here to read about the laws governing school board elections in Iowa.

Public school choice and open enrollment

See also: School choice in Iowa

Ballotpedia could not identify any specific state statute regarding intradistrict open enrollment in Iowa.

Interdistrict open enrollment is mandated by Iowa state law. A school district has the right to deny a request to transfer districts only if the school has insufficient classroom space or the transfer would result in a violation of a court desegregation order. Parents may request a specific school, but the school the student is placed in remains up to the discretion of the receiving district:

“ 282.18 Open enrollment. 1. a. It is the goal of the general assembly to permit a wide range of educational choices for children enrolled in schools in this state and to maximize ability to use those choices. It is therefore the intent that this section be construed broadly to maximize parental choice and access to educational opportunities which are not available to children because of where they live. b. For the school year commencing July 1, 1989, and each succeeding school year, a parent or guardian residing in a school district may enroll the parent’s or guardian’s child in a public school in another school district in the manner provided in this section. 2. a. A parent or guardian shall send notification to the district of residence and the receiving district, on forms prescribed by the department of education, that the parent or guardian intends to enroll the parent’s or guardian’s child in a public school in another school district. b. The board of the receiving district shall enroll the pupil in a school in the receiving district unless the receiving district has insufficient classroom space for the pupil. The board of directors of a receiving district may adopt a policy granting the superintendent of the school district authority to approve open enrollment applications. If the request is granted, the board shall transmit a copy of the form to the parent or guardian and the school district of residence within five days after board action. The parent or guardian may withdraw the request at any time prior to the board’s action on the application. A denial of a request by the board of a receiving district is not subject to appeal. c. Every school district shall adopt a policy which defines the term “insufficient classroom space” for that district. 3. a. The superintendent of a district subject to court-ordered desegregation may deny a request for transfer under this section if the superintendent finds that enrollment or release of a pupil will adversely affect the district’s implementation of the desegregation order, unless the transfer is requested by a pupil whose sibling is already participating in open enrollment to another district, or unless the request for transfer is submitted to the district prior to implementation of the desegregation order by the district. If a transfer request would facilitate implementation of a desegregation order, the district shall give priority to granting the request over other requests. b. A parent or guardian whose request has been denied because of the district’s implementation of the desegregation order may appeal the decision of the superintendent to the board of the district in which the request was denied. The board may either uphold or overturn the superintendent’s decision. A decision of the board to uphold the denial of the request is subject to appeal to the district court in the county in which the primary business office of the district is located. c. The board of directors of a school district subject to court-ordered desegregation shall develop a policy for implementation of open enrollment in the district. The policy shall contain objective criteria for determining when a request would adversely impact the desegregation order and criteria for prioritizing requests that do not have an adverse impact on the order. 4. A request under this section is for a period of not less than one year. If the request is for more than one year and the parent or guardian desires to have the pupil enroll in a different district, the parent or guardian may petition the current receiving district for permission to enroll the pupil in a different district for a period of not less than one year. Upon receipt of such a request, the current receiving district board may act on the request to transfer to the other school district at the next regularly scheduled board meeting after the receipt of the request. The new receiving district shall enroll the pupil in the district unless there is insufficient classroom space in the district or the district is subject to court-ordered desegregation and enrollment of the pupil would adversely affect implementation of the desegregation order. A denial of a request to change district enrollment is not subject to appeal. A pupil who has been in attendance in another district under this section may return to the district of residence and enroll at any time, once the parent or guardian has notified the district of residence and the receiving district in writing of the decision to enroll the pupil in the district of residence. 5. a. A pupil participating in open enrollment shall be counted, for state school foundation aid purposes, in the pupil’s district of residence. A pupil’s residence, for purposes of this section, means a residence under section 282.1. b. (1) The board of directors of the district of residence shall pay to the receiving district the sum of the state cost per pupil for the previous school year plus either the teacher leadership supplement state cost per pupil for the previous fiscal year as provided in section 257.9 or the teacher leadership supplement foundation aid for the previous fiscal year as provided in section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph “d”, if both the district of residence and the receiving district are receiving such supplements, plus any moneys received for the pupil as a result of the non-English speaking weighting under section 280.4, subsection 3, for the previous school year multiplied by the state cost per pupil for the previous year. If the pupil participating in open enrollment is also an eligible pupil under section 261E.6, the receiving district shall pay the tuition reimbursement amount to an eligible postsecondary institution as provided in section 261E.7. (2) If a pupil participates in cocurricular or extracurricular activities in accordance with subsection 10, the district of residence may deduct up to two hundred dollars per activity, for up to two activities, from the amount calculated in subparagraph (1). For a cocurricular activity, one semester shall equal one activity. Extracurricular activities for which such a resident district may charge up to two hundred dollars per activity for up to two activities under this subparagraph include interscholastic athletics, music, drama, and any other activity with a general fund expenditure exceeding five thousand dollars annually. A pupil may participate in additional extracurricular activities at the discretion of the resident district. The school district of residence may charge the pupil a fee for participation in such cocurricular or extracurricular activities equivalent to the fee charged to and paid in the same manner by other resident pupils. c. If a pupil participating in open enrollment attends school in the receiving district for less than a full school year, payment from the district of residence to the receiving district shall be prorated on a per diem basis. 6. a. If a request filed under this section is for a child requiring special education under chapter 256B, the request to transfer to the other district shall only be granted if the following conditions are met: (1) The receiving district maintains a special education instructional program which is appropriate to meet the child’s educational needs and the enrollment of the child in the receiving district’s program would not cause the size of the class or caseload in that special education instructional program in the receiving district to exceed the maximum class size or caseload established pursuant to rules adopted by the state board of education. (2) If the child would be assigned to a general education class, there is sufficient classroom space for the general education class to which the child would be assigned. b. For children requiring special education, the board of directors of the district of residence shall pay to the receiving district the actual costs incurred in providing the appropriate special education. c. For children requiring special education, the receiving district shall complete and provide to the district of residence the documentation necessary to seek Medicaid reimbursement for eligible services. 7. a. If a parent or guardian of a child, who is participating in open enrollment under this section, moves to a different school district during the course of either district’s academic year, the child’s first district of residence as determined on the date specified in section 257.6, subsection 1, shall be responsible for payment of the cost per pupil plus weightings or special education costs to the receiving school district for the balance of the school year in which the move took place. The new district of residence shall be responsible for the payments during succeeding years. b. If a request to transfer is due to a change in family residence, a change in a child’s residence from the residence of one parent or guardian to the residence of a different parent or guardian, a change in the state in which the family residence is located, a change in a child’s parents’ marital status, a guardianship proceeding, placement in foster care, adoption, participation in a foreign exchange program, or participation in a substance use disorder or mental health treatment program, and the child who is the subject of the request is enrolled in any grade from kindergarten through grade twelve or who is a prekindergarten student enrolled in a special education program at the time of the request and is not currently using any provision of open enrollment, the parent or guardian of the child shall have the option to have the child remain in the child’s original district of residence under open enrollment with no interruption in the child’s educational program. If a parent or guardian exercises this option, the child’s new district of residence is not required to pay the amount calculated in subsection 5 or 6, as applicable, until the start of the first full year of enrollment of the child. c. The receiving district shall bill the resident district determined under paragraph “a” according to the timeline in section 282.20, subsection 3. Payments shall be made to the receiving district in a timely manner. d. If the transfer of a pupil from one district to another results in a transfer from one area education agency to another, the sending district shall forward a copy of the request to the sending district’s area education agency. The receiving district shall forward a copy of the request to the receiving district’s area education agency. Any moneys received by the area education agency of the sending district for the pupil who is the subject of the request shall be forwarded to the receiving district’s area education agency. e. A district of residence may apply to the school budget review committee if a student was not included in the resident district’s enrollment count during the fall of the year preceding the student’s transfer under open enrollment. 8. a. Notwithstanding section 285.1 relating to transportation of nonresident pupils, the parent or guardian is responsible for transporting the pupil without reimbursement to and from a point on a regular school bus route of the receiving district. For purposes of this subsection, “a point on a regular school bus route of the receiving district” includes any school bus stop on the regular school bus route of the receiving district that existed prior to road construction that necessitates a change in the regular school bus route, whether or not the change in the regular school bus route resulting from the road construction necessitates sending school vehicles from the receiving district into the district of residence in order to safely, economically, or efficiently transport students to or from the preexisting point. b. A receiving district may send school vehicles into the district of residence of the pupil using the open enrollment option under this section, for the purpose of transporting the pupil to and from school in the receiving district, if the boards of both the sending and receiving districts agree to this arrangement. c. If the pupil meets the economic eligibility requirements established by the department and state board of education, the sending district is responsible for providing transportation or paying the pro rata cost of the transportation to a parent or guardian for transporting the pupil to and from a point on a regular school bus route of a contiguous receiving district unless the cost of providing transportation or the pro rata cost of the transportation to a parent or guardian exceeds the average transportation cost per pupil transported for the previous school year in the district. The economic eligibility requirements established by the department of education and state board of education shall minimally include those pupils with household incomes of two hundred percent or less of the federal poverty level as defined by the most recently revised poverty income guidelines published by the United States department of health and human services. If the cost exceeds the average transportation cost per pupil transported for the previous school year, the sending district shall only be responsible for that average per pupil amount. A sending district which provides transportation for a pupil to a contiguous receiving district under this subsection may withhold, from the district cost per pupil amount that is to be paid to the receiving district, an amount which represents the average or pro rata cost per pupil for transportation, whichever is less. 9. a. A pupil who participates in open enrollment for purposes of attending a grade in grades nine through twelve in a school district other than the district of residence is ineligible to participate in varsity interscholastic athletic contests and athletic competitions during the pupil’s first ninety school days of enrollment in the district. However, a pupil may participate immediately in a varsity interscholastic sport under any of the following circumstances: (1) If the pupil is entering grade nine for the first time and did not participate in an interscholastic athletic competition for another school or school district during the summer immediately following eighth grade. (2) If the district of residence and the other school district jointly participate in the sport. (3) If the sport in which the pupil wishes to participate is not offered in the district of residence. (4) If the pupil chooses to use open enrollment to attend school in another school district because the district in which the student previously attended school was dissolved and merged with one or more contiguous school districts under section 256.11, subsection 12. (5) If the pupil participates in open enrollment because the pupil’s district of residence has entered into a whole grade sharing agreement with another district for the pupil’s grade. (6) If the parent or guardian of the pupil participating in open enrollment is an active member of the armed forces and resides in permanent housing on government property provided by a branch of the armed services. (7) If the district of residence determines that the pupil was previously subject to a founded incident of harassment or bullying as defined in section 280.28 while attending school in the district of residence. (8) If the pupil participates in open enrollment because of circumstances that meet the definition of good cause. For purposes of this subparagraph, “good cause” means a change in a child’s residence due to a change in family residence, a change in a child’s residence from the residence of one parent or guardian to the residence of a different parent or guardian, a change in the state in which the family residence is located, a change in a child’s parents’ marital status, a guardianship or custody proceeding, placement in foster care, adoption, participation in a foreign exchange program, initial placement of a prekindergarten student in a special education program requiring specially designed instruction, or participation in a substance use disorder or mental health treatment program, a change in the status of a child’s resident district such as removal of accreditation by the state board, surrender of accreditation, or permanent closure of a nonpublic school, revocation of a charter school contract as provided in section 256E.10 or 256F.8, the failure of negotiations for a whole grade sharing, reorganization, dissolution agreement, or the rejection of a current whole grade sharing agreement, or reorganization plan. (9) If the board of directors or superintendent of the district of residence issues or implements a decision that results in the discontinuance or suspension of varsity interscholastic sports activities in the district of residence. (10) If the board of directors of the district of residence and the board of directors of the receiving district both agree to waive the ineligibility period. (11) For open enrollment applications approved for the school year beginning July 1, 2021, if the pupil’s district of residence had a voluntary diversity plan in effect on January 1, 2021, and applicable to the school year beginning July 1, 2021. b. A pupil who has paid tuition and attended school, or has attended school pursuant to a mutual agreement between the two districts, in a district other than the pupil’s district of residence for at least one school year is also eligible to participate immediately in interscholastic athletic contests and athletic competitions under this section, but only as a member of a team from the district that pupil had attended. c. If a pupil is declared ineligible for interscholastic athletic contests and athletic competitions in the pupil’s district of residence due to the pupil’s academic performance, upon participating in open enrollment, in addition to any other period of ineligibility under this subsection, the pupil shall be ineligible in the receiving district for the remaining period of ineligibility declared by the district of residence. d. For purposes of this subsection, “school days of enrollment” does not include enrollment in summer school. For purposes of this subsection, “varsity” means the same as defined in section 256.46, subsection 3. 10. A pupil participating in open enrollment for purposes of receiving educational instruction and course content primarily over the internet in accordance with section 256.7, subsection 32, may participate in any cocurricular or extracurricular activities offered to children in the pupil’s grade or group and sponsored by the district of residence under the same conditions and requirements as the pupils enrolled in the district of residence. The pupil may participate in not more than two cocurricular or extracurricular activities during a school year unless the resident district approves the student’s participation in additional activities. The student shall comply with the eligibility, conduct, and other requirements relating to the activity that are established by the district of residence for any student who applies to participate or who is participating in the activity. 11. If a pupil, for whom a request to transfer has been filed with a district, has been suspended or expelled in the district, the pupil shall not be permitted to transfer until the pupil has been reinstated in the sending district. Once the pupil has been reinstated, however, the pupil shall be permitted to transfer in the same manner as if the pupil had not been suspended or expelled by the sending district. If a pupil, for whom a request to transfer has been filed with a district, is expelled in the district, the pupil shall be permitted to transfer to a receiving district under this section if the pupil applies for and is reinstated in the sending district. However, if the pupil applies for reinstatement but is not reinstated in the sending district, the receiving district may deny the request to transfer. The decision of the receiving district is not subject to appeal. 12. If a request under this section is for transfer to a laboratory school, as described in chapter 265, the student, who is the subject of the request, shall not be included in the basic enrollment of the student’s district of residence, and the laboratory school shall report the enrollment of the student directly to the department of education, unless the number of students from the district attending the laboratory school during the current school year, as a result of open enrollment under this section, exceeds the number of students enrolled in the laboratory school from that district during the 1989-1990 school year. If the number of students enrolled in the laboratory school from a district during the current year exceeds the number of students enrolled from that district during the 1989-1990 school year, those students who represent the difference between the current and the 1988-1989 school year enrollment figures shall be included in the basic enrollment of the students’ districts of residence and the districts shall retain any moneys received as a result of the inclusion of the student in the district enrollment. The total number of students enrolled at a laboratory school during a school year shall not exceed six hundred seventy students. The regents institution operating the laboratory school and the board of directors of the school district in the community in which the regents institution is located shall develop a student transfer policy designed to protect and promote the quality and integrity of the teacher education program at the laboratory school, the viability of the education program of the local school district in which the regents institution is located, and to indicate the order in which and reasons why requests to transfer to a laboratory school shall be considered. A laboratory school may deny a request for transfer under the policy. A denial of a request to transfer under this subsection is not subject to appeal under section 290.1. 13. The director of the department of education shall recommend rules to the state board of education for the orderly implementation of this section. The state board shall adopt rules as needed for the implementation of this section. ”

Charter schools

See also: Charter schools in Iowa, How does Iowa compare to other states on school board authority over charter schools?

Iowa is one of 10 states that do not give local school boards any authority over whether charter schools are issued in their district.

That power is reserved for the state board of education. School boards may create a founding group to apply to the state board for the establishment a charter school:

“ 256E.1 Establishment of charter schools — purpose. 1. Charter schools shall be part of the state’s program of public education. 2. A charter school may be established by either of the following methods: a. A school board may create a founding group to apply to the state board for approval to establish and operate a charter school within and as a part of the school district by establishing a new attendance center, creating a new school within an existing attendance center, or by converting an existing attendance center to charter status. b. A founding group may apply to the state board for approval to establish and operate a charter school within the boundaries of the state that operates as a new attendance center independently from a public school district. 3. The purpose of a charter school established pursuant to this chapter shall be to accomplish the following: a. Improve student learning, well-being, and postsecondary success. b. Increase learning opportunities for students in areas of need in this state, including but not limited to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). c. Increase opportunities for work-based learning, early literacy intervention, and serving at-risk populations. d. Accelerating student learning to prevent learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and other significant disruptions to student learning. e. Encourage the use of evidence-based practices in innovative environments. f. Require the measurement and evaluation of program implementation and learning outcomes. g. Establish models of success for Iowa schools. h. Create new professional opportunities for teachers and other educators. i. Investigate and establish different organizational structures for schools to use to implement a multi-tiered system of supports for students. j. Allow greater flexibility to meet the education needs of a diverse student population and changing workforce needs. k. Allow for the flexible allocation of resources through implementation of specialized school budgets for the benefit of the schools served. l. Allow greater flexibility for districts and schools to focus on closing gaps in student opportunity and achievement for all students from preschool through postsecondary preparation. 4. The state board of education shall be the only authorizer of charter schools under this chapter. ”

Cellphone bans

See also: How does Iowa compare to other states on cellphone laws?

Iowa is one of 26 states with state laws or executive orders prohibiting or limiting cell phones in classrooms and/or schools, including through requiring school boards to pass certain policies.

Collective bargaining agreements

Teacher union collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) can constrain school board authority. Teacher CBAs are agreements between a school district and a teachers’ union to establish rights and other contract details for public school employees. CBAs do not have the force of law, but are contractually binding for a set period of time. Within the time set out in the agreement, the school board must comply with the stipulations that were agreed to in the contract. In this way, CBAs can constrain school board authority by giving teachers authority over curriculum, prohibiting school boards from banning books, and establishing certain student or parental rights. They can also determine rights and protections for educators, and conditions for students (such as required recess periods or the amount of standardized testing), among other provisions.

CBAs vary greatly within and across states in size, topics covered, and constraints they put on school boards. Not all states allow teachers to bargain collectively. As of January 2022, 35 states and the District of Columbia guaranteed K-12 teachers some right to bargain collectively, and six states prohibited public-sector employee collective bargaining by law, which includes public school teachers. The other nine states have no statewide bargaining framework, but local jurisdictions within these states can grant bargaining rights if they choose.

Iowa school boards are authorized to engage in collective bargaining agreements with school employees, which can constrain their authority over certain district policies.

For example, the Iowa City Community School District’s negotiated agreement with the Iowa City Education Association contractually grants the school board authority to delay response to a teacher's leave request until a suitable replacement is found in the section regarding extended leaves of absence.

“ V The Board reserves the right to delay action on any leave request until a suitable replacement for the teacher has been secured. The suitability of the replacement shall be determined by the Board. ”

Parents' Bill of Rights

See also: How does Iowa compare to other states on Parents' Bills of Rights?

Iowa is one of 26 states that has a Parents' Bill of Rights.

The statute holds that “a parent or guardian bears the ultimate responsibility, and has the fundamental, constitutionally protected right, to make decisions affecting the parent’s or guardian’s minor child, including decisions related to the minor child’s medical care, moral upbringing, religious upbringing, residence, education, and extracurricular activities.”

Iowa also has an education-specific parents’ bill of rights that mandates parental notification if a student requests to be addressed by a different name or set of pronouns.

The text of both are as follows:

“ 601.1 Parents and guardians — rights. 1. For purposes of this section: a. “Emergent care situation” means a sudden or unforeseen occurrence or onset of a medical or behavioral condition that could result in serious injury or harm to a minor child in the event immediate medical attention is not provided. b. “Medical care” means any care, treatment, service, or procedure to prevent, diagnose, alleviate, treat, or cure a minor child’s physical or mental condition. c. “Minor child” means an unmarried and unemancipated person under the age of eighteen years. 2. Subject to section 147.164, a parent or guardian bears the ultimate responsibility, and has the fundamental, constitutionally protected right, to make decisions affecting the parent’s or guardian’s minor child, including decisions related to the minor child’s medical care, moral upbringing, religious upbringing, residence, education, and extracurricular activities. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny. 3. This section shall not be construed to prohibit any of the following: a. A minor child from receiving medical attention in an emergent care situation. b. A person from cooperating in a child abuse assessment commenced in accordance with section 232.71B. c. A court from issuing an order that is permitted by law. 4. This section shall not be construed to authorize a parent or guardian to engage in conduct that is unlawful or to abuse or neglect a minor child in violation of the laws of this state. 5. The rights guaranteed to parents and guardians by this section are not a comprehensive list of the rights reserved to parents or guardians of a minor child. The enumeration of the rights contained in this section shall not be construed to limit the rights reserved to parents or guardians of a minor child. ”

“ 279.78 Parental rights in education. 1. As used in this section: a. “Gender identity” means the same as defined in section 216.2. b. “License” means the same as defined in section 256.145. c. “Practitioner” means the same as defined in section 256.145. 2. A school district shall not knowingly give false or misleading information to the parent or guardian of a student regarding the student’s gender identity or intention to transition to a gender that is different than the sex listed on a student’s official birth certificate or certificate issued upon adoption if the certificate was issued at or near the time of the student’s birth. 3. If a student enrolled in a school district requests an accommodation that is intended to affirm the student’s gender identity from a licensed practitioner employed by the school district, including a request that the licensed practitioner address the student using a name or pronoun that is different than the name or pronoun assigned to the student in the school district’s registration forms or records, the licensed practitioner shall report the student’s request to an administrator employed by the school district, and the administrator shall report the student’s request to the student’s parent or guardian. 4. If, after investigation, the department of education determines that a school district or an employee of a school district has violated this section, the school district or employee of the school district, as applicable, shall be subject to the following: a. For the first violation of this section, the department of education shall issue a written warning to the board of directors of the school district or the employee, as applicable. b. (1) For a second or subsequent violation of this section, if the department of education finds that a school district knowingly violated this section, the superintendent of the school district shall be subject to a hearing conducted by the board of educational examiners pursuant to section 256.146, subsection 13, which may result in disciplinary action. (2) For a second or subsequent violation of this section, if the department of education finds that an employee of the school district who holds a license, certificate, authorization, or statement of recognition issued by the board of educational examiners knowingly violated this section, the employee shall be subject to a hearing conducted by the board of educational examiners pursuant to section 256.146, subsection 13, which may result in disciplinary action. 5. The state board of education shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section. ”

How does Iowa compare to other states?

This section compares Iowa's school board authority and constraints with those of other states on select topics. These topics include authority over discipline policy, school board election timing, charter schools, cellphone use policy, as well as constraints on school boards' authority from Parents' Bills of Rights.

Book bans, removals, and restrictions

Twenty-three (23) states have no laws regulating the curation of school library books. Twenty-seven (27) states, however, have passed laws restricting school board authority over school library book curation. These laws typically fall into one of the following categories:

• Eleven states require school boards to develop a policy for the removal of books, including creating a way for the public to challenge school library books.
• Nine states prohibit school boards from removing books on the grounds that they represent specific ideologies or perspectives.
• Six states prohibit books if they contain specific material, including sexual content or anything deemed harmful to minors.
• Five states require school boards to establish local boards to review challenges to library books.
• Two states require school boards to allow parents to view a catalogue of books.

Some states have adopted multiple types of these policies.

Discipline

• School boards in 47 states have authority over disciplinary policy in their district.
• School boards in two states have authority over disciplinary policy for specific circumstances, such as suspension, expulsion, or bullying.
• Individual schools in one state create their own disciplinary policy.

School board elections

School boards' authority over the timing of school board elections varies by state.

• School boards in 42 states do not have authority over election timing;
• School boards in five states can choose from limited options when to hold school board elections;
• School boards in two states can choose from a date range when to hold school board elections;
• The school board in Hawaii is not elected.

The map below shows the types of authority school boards in the states have to determine the timing of school board elections.

Charter schools

See also: Charter schools in the United States

Some school boards in the U.S. are authorized to approve or deny applications for charter schools in their district, while state boards of education hold the authority in other states. In some states, school boards can authorize charter schools, but there are other entities besides school boards that can also authorize charter schools or to which a school board decision can be appealed.

• 10 states do not authorize school boards to make decisions on whether to approve new charter schools in their districts.
• 36 states do authorize school boards to approve new charter schools in their districts, deny approval to new charter schools, or both.
• 3 states do not have laws governing charter school authorization.
• 1 state allows school districts to apply to the state board of education to be a charter school district.

State cellphone laws

See also: State policies on cellphone use in K-12 public schools

In most states, school boards or superintendents often set policies on cellphones in public schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), around 76% of schools said they banned the non-academic use of cellphones or smartphones during school hours during the 2021-22 school year, down from 91% in 2010.

Beginning with Florida in 2023, some states enacted laws or policies to regulate student cellphone usage in public schools. Twenty-six (26) states had statewide laws or policies restricting cellphone use in K-12 classrooms or schools as of June 2025. Four states had requirements for all school district boards to adopt a policy on cellphones but without specific requirements for those policies. Four other states had policies encouraging school districts to establish restrictions on cellphone use in the classroom.

Parents' Bill of Rights

See also: Parents' Bill of Rights in education

If state law explicitly provides certain rights to parents, it can constrain the policy-making authority of school boards. These sections of statute are often referred to within statute and are categorized here as Parents' Bills of Rights. In some states, they are education-specific, regarding the rights a parent has to be involved in their child's public education. Common examples include notification requirements, opt-out rights, and records access. Other Parents' Bills of Rights are more general, commonly affording parents a right to direct the upbringing of their child.

• 26 states have enacted a statewide Parents' Bill of Rights
• 24 states have not enacted a Parents' Bill of Rights.

Noteworthy events

See also: Overview of trends in K-12 curricula development

• Iowa governor signs new social studies curriculum bill (2024): Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) signed a new education curriculum law on May 15, 2024, which proposed requiring social studies curriculum to include specific people, topics, and themes including what the bill called exemplary figures in western Civilization and the cultural heritage of western civilization, according to the text of the bill. Sen. Jeff Taylor (R) said the curricular focus on western civilization is the foundational context to both American history and current culture. Sen. Molly Donahue (D) argued that the bill was too prescriptive on curriculum and that it is not the job of the legislature to write curriculum.

• Teacher union, publishing company, and authors sue Iowa governor in response to book prohibition (2023): Publishing company Penguin Random House, authors John Green, Jodi Picoult, Malinda Lo, Laurie Halse Anderson, and the Iowa State Education Association filed a lawsuit on November 30, 2023, against Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) challenging SF 496, which required school libraries to remove books that depict sex acts. The plaintiffs argued that the law violates the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Reynolds contended that removing sexually explicit books from schools protects children. An attorney representing Penguin Random House, Dan Novack, said he believed the case would center on whether the First Amendment applies in school libraries.

See also

• Local school board authority across the 50 states
• K-12 curriculum authority, requirements, and statutes in the states
• State policies on cellphone use in K-12 public schools
• Rules governing school board election dates and timing
• Charter schools
• School choice
• Parents' Bill of Rights in education
• Ballotpedia:Index of Contents
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