Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs law requiring schools to offer 100% in-person learning option

Ian Richardson
Des Moines Register

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a requirement Friday morning for Iowa schools to give parents the option to send their children to school five days a week. 

"It's time to put local control into the hands of parents, where it belongs, so that they can choose what's best for their children," she said before signing the bill, surrounded by a small group that included state legislators, parents and students. She signed it at a state Capitol event, just hours after both chambers of the Iowa Legislature approved it Thursday

The requirements will go into effect Feb. 15, giving Iowa's public and accredited private schools that currently offer a mixture of in-person and virtual instruction two weeks to make the transition. Many schools already offer an in-person option, but some do not due to continued community spread of the coronavirus. 

The bill passed the Senate by a 29-18 vote Thursday afternoon and passed the House Thursday evening by a 59-39 vote. All Republicans in both chambers voted for the measure. Rep. Wes Breckenridge, D-Newton, was the lone Democrat to vote in favor of the bill. 

In the Senate, a separate, wide-ranging education bill introduced by Gov. Kim Reynolds also won approval Thursday. The bill, which would provide publicly funded scholarships to qualifying students to help them attend a private school, passed 26-21, with three Republicans joining Democrats in voting against it. That measure will now head to the House.

New law requires schools to offer in-person classes starting Feb. 15

Reynolds in her Jan. 12 Condition of the State address had called for the Legislature to send the legislation to her desk "immediately." Republicans in both chambers moved the in-person learning bills through the committee process swiftly this week as their leaders sought to fulfill Reynolds' request.

“Parents are upset. Parents want their kids back in class. They recognize that their kids are falling behind,” Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, said Thursday. 

The new law will not prevent schools from continuing to offer hybrid options or a fully virtual option for parents who request it. However, some school districts that are currently instructing partly in person and partly online expect to drop that hybrid option once the law goes into effect

The law will require school districts to give parents at least five days to decide which option to select for their children. 

In Des Moines, spokesperson Phil Roeder said Thursday that the district, which currently offers hybrid and remote options, plans to offer a five-day option for students, perhaps as soon as Feb. 8, while continuing the virtual option.

Schools could still request waivers from the requirement from the Iowa Department of Education, if Reynolds allows that through a public health declaration. The measures would require the department to factor into the decision issues such as the number of teachers quarantining due to the virus, and shortages of substitutes, food service workers and school bus drivers.

If schools do not comply, the hours and days of instruction would not count toward their instructional time. The requirement would extend until the end of June.

Democrats: New law a 'smackdown' on larger districts

Reynolds and Republicans have emphasized that students in some districts have missed out on the advantages of in-person instruction, which include mental health benefits and access to several services. They have also pointed to evidence that grades have fallen during the pandemic.

Rep. Phil Thompson, R-Jefferson, said many school districts are already holding in-person classes, but students at districts that aren't offering them aren't receiving equal opportunities. 

"There's no doubt in my mind that every member of this chamber understands that our classrooms provide much, much more than quality academic curriculum, although that is a major factor in proposing this bill," he said. 

Democrats and others say Iowa first needs to reduce community spread of the virus and ensure schools have enough resources to reopen school buildings safely. Iowa will begin vaccinating teachers and other school staff Feb. 1, but they will not be fully vaccinated by Feb. 15. 

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, called the bill a "smackdown" to large school districts that have taken longer to return to in-person classes because of their unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as ensuring social distancing in crowded classrooms. 

“This bill is nothing more than Gov. Reynolds settling a political score with large urban school districts that disagreed with her,” Bolkcom said on the Senate floor Thursday.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds takes a question from the press after signing a bill that will require schools to offer a 100% in-person learning option. The event was Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at the Capitol in Des Moines.

During debate Thursday, Republicans voted down several changes that Democrats proposed.

Those proposals included applying the requirement only to schools following federal guidelines to contain the spread — such mask wearing, social distancing and ventilation. Another would have pushed back the effective date until teachers and school staff have a chance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. A third would have expanded the types of staffing shortages the state would need to take into account when exempting schools from the requirements.

"The problem is that Rep. Thompson, the governor and a lot of people seem to be working on this fast track to implement this thing," said Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines. "The only problem is, they're not implementing it to be safe." 

On Friday, Reynolds applauded schools that had already returned to in-person learning and said the state plans to support schools with personal protective equipment and federal coronavirus funding.

"Sadly, the biggest risk to our students is their continued absence from school," she said, adding that national research and achievement results within Iowa have shown more students are falling behind. 

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs a bill that will require schools to offer a 100% in-person learning option. She signed the measure on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at the Capitol in Des Moines.

Senate passes governor's 'school choice' bill

The Senate on Thursday also passed the governor's education "choice" bill, which would allow students at certain schools to qualify for state-funded education savings accounts to help them attend a private school.

The bill would widen the number of students eligible to open-enroll in other schools and allow groups to form charter schools without applying through their local school district.

“At its heart, Senate File 159 is a bill that places parents back in the driver’s seat for their child’s very personal educational journey," Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, said Thursday. 

The bill passed 26-21, with Republican Sens. Dawn Driscoll, R-Williamsburg, Tom Shipley, R-Nodaway, and Annette Sweeney, R-Buckeye, joining Democrats in voting no. 

Reynolds, many Republican lawmakers and "school choice" advocacy groups have said the legislation would give parents more options for where to send their children. Democrats and several groups representing educators and public schools have opposed the bill, saying public money should remain with public schools. 

“Every year you’ve been chipping away at public education, and this is the grand doozy of it all,” Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said during Thursday's debate.

Republicans also moved that bill through the committee process earlier in the week. Though the bill moved through the entire process in the Senate over the course of one week, House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, told reporters Thursday that he expects House Republicans to move at a slower pace.

He said the large size of the proposal and simultaneous work on other priorities, such as passing a school funding package, would likely slow the process.

"We're continuing to look at the governor's proposal and definitely are very open to it," he said. "But as far as (how) quickly as it moved in the Senate, at this point in time where I'm at, I don't see it moving as fast as that. We have other things that we're doing at the same time as well." 

Ian Richardson covers the Iowa Statehouse for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at irichardson@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8254, or on Twitter at @DMRIanR.