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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Bill 335 Establishes Civil Penalties and Lawsuits for School Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy Violations
Last action · February 25, 2025: Subcommittee recommends passage.Sponsors: Sandy Salmon and 5 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 335 allows parents, guardians, and school employees to file civil lawsuits against school districts and public institutions of higher education for alleged violations of restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, curricula, and prohibited instruction. Prevailing plaintiffs are awarded court costs, attorney fees, and civil penalties of $50,000 for K-12 schools or $100,000 for higher education institutions. The bill also institutes administrative warnings and licensing hearings through the for teachers and administrators.
School districts and higher education institutions face direct financial penalties of $50,000 to $100,000 per violation, mandatory employee terminations, and mandatory license revocations for educators if found in violation of restrictions on DEI efforts or prohibited curriculum.
- Current Iowa law restricts certain curricula, training, and instruction relating to gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through grade six, alongside provisions governing teacher conduct. context
- 2024 Iowa Acts, chapter 1152 initially established prohibitions regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion offices at public institutions of higher education governed by the board of regents. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
School districts
School districts face potential civil lawsuits, mandatory court costs, attorney fees, and $50,000 civil penalties for violations of curriculum and DEI restrictions.
Teachers and administrators
Educators are subject to written warnings, licensing hearings before the board of educational examiners, and potential license revocation for violations or failure to stop violations.
Students, parents, and guardians
Parents, guardians, and students gain the right to file civil actions for injunctive relief, report violations, and recover court costs and attorney fees if they prevail.
Community colleges and regents institutions
Public institutions of higher education are explicitly prohibited from maintaining DEI offices, face civil lawsuits from students and employees, and are subject to $100,000 civil penalties and mandatory employee termination upon a violation.
Key Facts
- A parent, guardian, or school employee may bring a civil action for injunctive relief against a school district for alleged violations regarding curriculum stereotyping, sexual orientation and gender identity instruction, or DEI prohibitions.
- If a plaintiff is the prevailing party in a civil action against a school district, the court must award reasonable court costs and attorney fees, and assess a $50,000 civil penalty against the school district.
- Clerks of court must send copies of court orders finding violations to the board of educational examiners, which is required to revoke the license of a teacher or administrator found in violation.
- If no civil action is instituted, the department of education may issue a written warning for a first violation and refer second or subsequent knowing violations to the board of educational examiners for a hearing.
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- Dissatisfied parents, guardians, or employees may report violations to the state board of education, the attorney general, or bring a civil action for injunctive relief.
- Community colleges are included within the definition of public institutions of higher education, subjecting them to existing statutory prohibitions regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion offices.
- A student or employee at a public institution of higher education who alleges a DEI violation may bring a civil action for injunctive relief.
- A prevailing plaintiff against a public institution of higher education is awarded court costs, attorney fees, and a $100,000 civil penalty, and the institution must immediately terminate the responsible employee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can file a civil lawsuit under this bill against a school district?
What happens to a school district if a plaintiff wins a civil lawsuit under the bill?
How are community colleges affected by the legislation?
What is the penalty for a public institution of higher education that violates DEI prohibitions?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 25, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Feb 20, 2025SenateSubcommittee Meeting: 02/25/2025 10:30AM Senate Lounge.
- Feb 19, 2025SenateSubcommittee: Salmon, Pike, and Quirmbach. S.J. 314 .
- Feb 17, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education. S.J. 279 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 1 more sponsor
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Civil Liability to Educational Staff
The bill shifts enforcement from purely administrative state oversight to direct civil litigation initiated by parents, guardians, and employees against school districts and higher education institutions.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy90Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz75Current news / social attention level
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