Capitol Notebook: Proposed change to Iowa anti-bullying law advances
- In Des Moines, Republicans on the Iowa Senate Education Committee advanced legislation on Monday that would change the definition public schools use to identify bullying.
- The proposed change stems from concerns about the current definition of bullying and harassment in Iowa Code, which includes actual or perceived traits of a student, leading to claims of confusion and unequal treatment.
- House File 865, already passed by the Iowa House in March, seeks to remove perceived traits and characteristics from the definition of bullying and redefines 'harassment' and 'bullying' as 'repeated and targeted' actions, while Senate File 269 addresses DEI requirements in colleges.
- The bill, which passed the committee with an 11-5 vote, removes a list of 17 traits/characteristics, including gender identity, sexuality, race, political belief, and familial status, while bullying rates have generally declined from a peak of 31.7% in 2006-07 to 19.2% in 2021-22.
- If the bill passes the full Senate and is signed by the governor, the change could make it more difficult for schools to identify bullying trends based on specific characteristics, raising concerns about the ability to respond effectively, although some believe it will allow for more appropriate interventions.
13 Articles
13 Articles


Capitol Notebook: Proposed change to Iowa anti-bullying law advances
The definition that public schools use to identify bullying would change under legislation advanced Monday by Republicans on the Iowa Senate Education Committee.

Iowa Senate Education Committee OKs bill to change anti-bullying code
The Iowa Senate Education Committee approved legislation Monday to change state law defining bullying in schools, keeping it alive ahead of this week’s committee deadline. The panel also sent five other bills to the Senate floor dealing with topics ranging…
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