March 19, 2024

School bullying legislation advances

DES MOINES — Legislation aimed at reducing school bullying in Iowa advanced in the Legislature on Wednesday, but it remains unclear if it will have enough support to get to Gov. Terry Branstad’s desk this session.

A three-member House education subcommittee gave unanimous approval for a bill that’s slightly different than one approved later in the day by a full education committee in the Senate.

Lawmakers in both chambers said they recognize the bills are different now, but they expect to amend them before they’re up for full votes. They also expressed some hope the legislation, which has failed in the past, could advance this year.

“We’re trying to do a lot of the work on the front end, and I think that’s helpful,” said Rep. Quentin Stanerson, R-Center Point, who was on the House subcommittee Wednesday.

Despite the optimistic remarks, it’s still unclear whether the legislation — which covers everything from whether parents should always be notified of bullying to whether social media should be monitored — will have enough bipartisan support.

Both bills would add what supporters say is clarifying language on how educators should respond to cases of bullying and expands on legislation passed in 2007. They would outline how school districts should respond to bullying off school grounds, including cyberbullying.

In the Senate, the bill was amended to remove a $200,000 appropriation for teacher training and a student pilot program. Sen. Robert Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, said the move was to ensure the bill could advance. He said the money would be debated through a different funding process.

Stanerson said he expects to amend the bill, but he expressed reservation on the removal of the money. Funding was a contentious issue in the bullying bill that failed last session.

Language on parental notification also stalled the legislation last session. A few groups have already said this session that the parental notification section remains a problem. The language allows educators to have some discretion in whether to inform a parent of bullying if the notification could cause rejection, abuse or neglect to the affected student.

The Senate bill also adds a work group of experts that would make recommendations to state education officials on bullying prevention. Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, voted against the bill in the education committee, which split along party lines. He said he had reservations about the work group, but he felt he could change his mind with compromise.

The Senate bill can now be debated by the full Senate. The House bill is headed to a full education committee for consideration.

Stanerson said he’s still figuring out whether the legislation, which has come up in previous sessions and is one of Branstad’s top priorities, has enough support in the House.

“There’s going to be folks on both sides of the aisle on every little piece,” he said on potential opposition.