Relating to education, including by establishing the office of the inspector general for school safety and modifying the duties of school districts, and making appropriations and providing penalties

The bill establishes qualifications and a term of office for the inspector general for school safety. In addition, the bill establishes when the inspector general may be removed from office. The bill requires the inspector general for school safety to investigate reports that involve physical assaults or attempted assaults on school district property or at a school-sponsored event that result in bodily injury requiring professional medical attention; credible threats of violence against a student or an employee of a school that require law enforcement notification; possession of a dangerous weapon by a student enrolled in a school on school district property or at a school-sponsored event; other specified actions of students related to dangerous weapons; and lockdowns that last longer than minutes or that require law enforcement intervention. The inspector general for school safety is required to comply with applicable federal and state law when carrying out the inspector general for school safety’s duties and powers. The bill authorizes the inspector general for school safety to employ personnel and assign duties of the office of inspector general for school safety; investigate material school safety incidents; close or decline to investigate certain specified matters; issue subpoenas; order a school district to temporarily suspend the duties of an administrator in certain circumstances; issue required school board consideration orders that direct the board of directors of a school to consider and act upon recommendations related to specific students; refer matters to other law enforcement authorities; and assess against certain school districts costs of investigations, which may include reductions in state aid to the school district if assessments are not paid. The bill authorizes the inspector general for school safety to, upon the completion of an investigation, issue corrective directives that are binding on school districts. A corrective directive may require a school district to take measures that are reasonably necessary to remediate a specific safety risk. A corrective directive is subject to administrative appeal to the department of inspections, appeals, and licensing. The bill establishes standards of review that administrative law judges are to apply to the inspector general of school safety’s findings of fact and conclusions of law. Judicial review of decisions or orders of the department of inspections, appeals, and licensing under these provisions may be sought in accordance with Code chapter 17A (Iowa administrative procedure Act). The bill requires each school district employee, contractor engaged by a school district, volunteer engaged by a school district, and school resource officer engaged by a school district to report material school safety incidents to the office of the inspector general for school safety within hours after the employee, contractor, volunteer, or school resource officer has actual knowledge of the material school safety incident. The first time an employee, contractor, volunteer, or school resource officer knowingly and willfully, with intent to conceal or obstruct, fails to make such a report without reasonable justification, the individual is guilty of a simple misdemeanor. A simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than days and a fine of at least $105 but not more than $855. The second time such an individual knowingly and willfully, with intent to conceal or obstruct, fails to make such a report without reasonable justification, the individual is guilty of a serious misdemeanor. A serious misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than one year and a fine of at least $430 but not more than $2,560. The third or subsequent time such an individual knowingly and willfully, with intent to conceal or obstruct, fails to make such a report without reasonable justification, the individual is guilty of a class “D” felony. A class “D” felony is punishable by confinement for no more than five years and a fine of at least $1,025 but not more than $10,245. The bill authorizes a student enrolled in a school district, the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school district, a school district employee, a contractor engaged by a school district, a volunteer engaged by a school district, or a school resource officer engaged by a school district to bring a civil cause of action for injunctive relief, actual compensatory damages, reasonable attorney fees, and court costs against a school district for failure to report a material school safety incident; interference with the reporting of a material school safety incident; taking disciplinary action against an employee, contractor, volunteer, or school resource officer for reporting a material school safety incident; or failure to comply with a corrective directive. The bill establishes a two-year statute of limitations for such civil actions and requires plaintiffs to exhaust administrative remedies prior to bringing such civil actions, except in certain specified cases. School districts are entitled to qualified immunity from civil liability for all damages arising from civil actions brought under the bill’s provisions if the school district employee, contractor, volunteer, or the school resource officer acted in good faith. The bill waives any sovereign immunity provided to school districts under federal law. The bill requires the board of directors of each school district to comply with investigations initiated by the office of the inspector general for school safety under the bill’s provisions. The bill also requires the board of directors of each school district to maintain written policies addressing student safety, classroom disruption, and disciplinary escalation that contain certain specified provisions. The inspector general for school safety may consider whether a school failed to adopt written policies, or failed to implement written policies, when evaluating a school’s compliance with the bill’s provisions. Failure to adopt or implement such written policies may constitute evidence of noncompliance. The bill requires the inspector general for school safety to publish certain specified information on the office of the inspector general for school safety’s internet site. The bill also requires the inspector general for school safety to submit an annual report to the general assembly that contains information and aggregated data related to the inspector general for school safety’s investigatory and enforcement activities. The bill establishes an office of inspector general for school safety operations fund in the state treasury. For FY 2026-2027, and each succeeding fiscal year, the bill appropriates from the general fund of the state to the office of inspector general for school safety operations fund the amount necessary to pay all costs associated with carrying out the office of inspector general for school safety’s duties and powers under the bill’s provisions for that fiscal year. The bill defines “administrator”, “disciplinary action”, “discipline”, “material school safety incident”, “reasonable justification”, “school”, “school resource officer”, “teacher”, and “temporary classroom removal”.