The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa allows online open-enrollment students to join up to two school district extracurricular activities
Last action · May 2, 2026: Signed by Governor . S.J. 1013 .
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Does
Iowa law now permits students who open enroll for online instruction to participate in up to two per academic term in their resident school district, provided their online school does not offer those activities and they meet all standard eligibility and conduct rules.
Expands extracurricular access for internet-based open-enrollment students by setting a statutory limit of two activities per academic term without resident district approval, starting July 1, 2026.
- Open enrollment in Iowa allows parents to enroll their children in a public school district other than the one where they reside, subject to state law and district policies. context
- Senate File 176 passed both chambers of the Iowa General Assembly before being signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds on May 2, 2026. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Pupils who open enroll for internet instruction
Permitted to participate in up to two cocurricular or extracurricular activities per academic term in their resident school district under specific conditions.
School districts of residence
Must apply eligibility, conduct, and other activity requirements to online open-enrollment pupils and evaluate requests for participation in more than two activities per academic term.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can online open-enrollment students join any extracurricular activity in their resident district?
What is the effective date of Senate File 176?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
39 actions- May 2, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by Governor . S.J. 1013 .
- May 2, 2026SenateReported correctly enrolled, signed by President and Speaker, and sent to Governor. S.J. 1013 .
- Apr 6, 2026HouseMessage from Senate. H.J. 810 .
- Apr 6, 2026SenateImmediate message. S.J. 719 .
- Apr 6, 2026SenateFloorPassed Senate , yeas 47, nays 0. S.J. 715 .
- Apr 6, 2026SenateFloorSenate concurred with S-5056 . S.J. 715 .
Show 33 earlier actions
- Mar 4, 2026HouseMessage from House, with amendment S-5056 . S.J. 459 .
- Mar 3, 2026HouseImmediate message. H.J. 523 .
- Mar 3, 2026HouseFloorPassed House , yeas 94, nays 2. H.J. 502 .
- Mar 3, 2026HouseFloorCommittee amendment H-8005 adopted. H.J. 502 .
- Mar 3, 2026HouseAmendment H-1217 withdrawn. H.J. 502 .
- Feb 17, 2026HouseCommittee amendment H-8005 filed. H.J. 328 .
- Feb 17, 2026HousePlaced on calendar. H.J. 320 .
- Feb 16, 2026HouseCommittee vote: Yeas, 23. Nays, 0. H.J. 320 .
- Feb 16, 2026HouseCommittee report, recommending amendment and passage. H.J. 320 .
- Feb 12, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Feb 10, 2026HouseSubcommittee Meeting: 02/12/2026 8:15AM House Lounge.
- Feb 9, 2026HouseSubcommittee: Gehlbach, Larson and Madison. H.J. 237 .
- Dec 31, 2025Iowa Legislature* * * * * END OF 2025 ACTIONS * * * * *
- May 15, 2025HouseRereferred to Education. H.J. 1222 .
- Apr 10, 2025HousePlaced on calendar under unfinished business. H.J. 928 .
- Apr 2, 2025HouseCommittee amendment H-1217 filed. H.J. 892 .
- Apr 2, 2025HousePlaced on calendar. H.J. 884 .
- Apr 1, 2025HouseCommittee vote: Yeas, 22. Nays, 1. H.J. 884 .
- Apr 1, 2025HouseCommittee report, recommending amendment and passage. H.J. 884 .
- Mar 24, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Mar 20, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 03/24/2025 12:30PM RM 304.1.
- Mar 20, 2025HouseSubcommittee: Fett, Gjerde and Stone. H.J. 767 .
- Mar 12, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time, referred to Education. H.J. 615 .
- Mar 11, 2025HouseMessage from Senate. H.J. 607 .
- Mar 11, 2025SenateImmediate message. S.J. 485 .
- Mar 11, 2025SenateFloorPassed Senate , yeas 47, nays 0. S.J. 484 .
- Feb 3, 2025SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 179 .
- Feb 3, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 175 .
- Jan 30, 2025Iowa LegislatureCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 176 .
- Jan 23, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Jan 22, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 01/23/2025 12:30PM Room 217 Conference Room.
- Jan 21, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee: Taylor, Shipley, and Staed.
- Jan 21, 2025Iowa LegislatureIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education.
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.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Origin from SSB 1023
Senate File 176 originated from Senate Study Bill 1023 during the Ninety-first General Assembly.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance45How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools