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DES MOINES - The debate over mask-wearing continued at the Iowa Statehouse as lawmakers heard arguments against limiting the authority of colleges and universities to mandate facial coverings for students and employees when they are off-campus.
Des Moines Register Iowa's public colleges and universities couldn't require students or staff to wear face masks or social distance to protect against the coronavirus while off campus, according to a bill that advanced through a House subcommittee Tuesday. The bill, House File 162, would also ban accredited private institutions that have similar off-campus requirements from receiving state funding through the Iowa Tuition Grant Program, which assists students attending private institutions. Rep. Joe Mitchell, R-Mount Pleasant, said he believes some universities have overstepped their author...
February 2, 2021 Des Moines, Iowa — Students in Iowa’s K-through-12 schools would be led in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of each school day under legislation that’s cleared initial review in the Iowa House. Representative Joe Mitchell, a Republican from Wayland, says Iowa is one of four states that doesn’t have this requirement. (as said) “Our current president has talked about finding the soul of our nation,” Mitchell says. “I think this goes along with it, right, is you know requiring we say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, just like we do at the state...
A school voucher bill proposed by Governor Kim Reynolds is advancing this legislative session that would redirect public school funding to a student’s account that can be used to help pay for private school. Senate File 159 passed on the Senate floor Thursday, which stipulates there are no income limits to qualify for a “student first scholarship” account, but families must come from a public school that’s in the bottom performance level under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The bill also establishes a charter school system which would allow groups to open charters which would...
House and Senate bills requiring that schools offer a fully in-person learning option are advancing at the statehouse, with health officials concerned on how that may put school staff at risk of contracting COVID-19. A bill has advanced to the full Senate while a similar proposal passed out of a House subcommittee Monday, in line with Governor Kim Reynolds’ education priorities set out this session. District 84 Representative Joe Mitchell (R) says he supports the bill, though he says that many school districts in southeast Iowa have done a good job at getting kids back in school buildings ...