Private School Bill (Senate File 2058)
This bill was approved in committee today. It’s a bill allowing non-public schools to use their textbook money to buy laptop computers. The bill gives some latitude to private schools on the spending of government money.
The Iowa State Education Association was against this bill as they stated it violated the separation of church and state. They also were worried that down the road, this could create more funding for private schools.
I support this bill; the money is already going to these schools, so the separation argument is invalid. Also, someone needs to clue in the Iowa State Education Association that private schools save the state well over $300 million. (40,000 students go to private schools) They should be advocating for private schools, the more kids that attend private schools, the less financial burden to public school.
Education Mandate Bill (Senate File 2034)
The bill requires the Dept of Ed to develop and distribute a model dating violence policy to all school districts to be incorporated in a school’s health curriculum and standards. All administrators, teachers, nurses, and mental health staff must be trained in the basic principles of dating violence, the warning signs of dating violence, and the school district’s dating violence policy. This bill involves school accreditation. The bill will take effect upon enactment.
I fully understand the importance of this topic; however, it is in the same vein as the anti-bullying bill that was past a few years ago. We need to tread lightly on these social issues. As a parent, I want to teach my children about this issue. I think each local school board should decide if they want to incorporate these policies in their curriculum.
Thank you for standing up for our rights as parents. A government powerful enough to start demanding that school districts teach these basic rules of civil society is simply adding another paid bureaucrat to its already bloated budget, not to mention imposing their agenda on schools. It is ultimately up to the parents to let their voices be heard, though and say “Enough. Enough to the lawmakers and enough to the Dept. of Ed. You cannot cross this line.” The parents have this right. Yes, this is important for teens and we, the parents, are the ones to teach it. I’d suggest 10 simple laws be posted in the schools and maybe we wouldn’t need all these government programs that border on the absurd.
Thanks for the thoughts Bruce and Tammy! Parents need to parent, we cannot allow the schools to assume this role.