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Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Passes Bill Requiring Special Education and Behavior Pilot Attendance Centers in Rural and Urban School Districts
Last action · March 18, 2026: Fiscal note .
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What This Bill Would Do
The Iowa Department of Education must develop and administer a pilot program requiring one rural school district and one urban school district to establish specialized s for students requiring special education or behavioral support, effective until July 1, 2031.
Participating school districts must either fully fund their own involvement or receive full funding from state appropriations, and they are required to submit annual effectiveness reports to the Department of Education.
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.
rural school district
A designated rural school district must establish an attendance center for eligible students if it agrees to participate or receives state funding.
urban school district
A designated urban school district must establish an attendance center for eligible students if it agrees to participate or receives state funding.
eligible students
Students requiring special education or experiencing behavioral issues may be enrolled in the newly established pilot attendance centers.
Key Facts
- The Department of Education must develop and administer a pilot program requiring one rural school district and one urban school district to each establish an attendance center for eligible students.
- Participation in the pilot program is mandatory for the selected districts only if they agree to fully fund participation or if the department fully funds it using moneys appropriated by the general assembly.
- Eligible students include children requiring special education and students whose emotional, social, or behavioral needs interfere with success in the regular educational environment.
- A rural school district is defined as a district in a county with a population between 17,500 and 18,000 containing a city with a population between 5,400 and 5,500 based on the 2020 census.
Show all 9 facts
- An urban school district is defined as a district with a total enrollment of at least 7,000 students.
- The department, in consultation with the participating districts, must determine the courses of study, curricula, and instructional facilities used in the pilot program.
- Participating school districts must submit an annual report to the department on or before June 1 of each year containing enrollment numbers, academic performance, and feedback.
- The department must compile the annual district reports and submit them to the general assembly on or before June 30 of each year.
- The section creating the pilot program is repealed on July 1, 2031.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which school districts are required to participate in the pilot program?
What students qualify to attend the new attendance centers?
When does the pilot program provision expire?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
15 actions- Mar 18, 2026Iowa LegislatureFiscal note .
- Mar 12, 2026HouseIntroducedRead first time, referred to Education. H.J. 639 .
- Mar 11, 2026HouseMessage from Senate. H.J. 635 .
- Mar 10, 2026SenateImmediate message. S.J. 536 .
- Mar 10, 2026SenateFloorPassed Senate , yeas 32, nays 13. S.J. 536 .
- Mar 10, 2026SenateAmendment S-5084 filed, ruled out of order. S.J. 536 .
Show 9 earlier actions
- Mar 10, 2026SenateFloorAmendment S-5095 filed, adopted. S.J. 536 .
- Mar 3, 2026Iowa LegislatureFiscal note .
- Feb 19, 2026SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2404 . S.J. 333 .
- Feb 19, 2026SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 333 .
- Feb 19, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 328 .
- Feb 18, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends passage.
- Feb 12, 2026Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/17/2026 12:00PM Room 217 Conference Room.
- Feb 10, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Gruenhagen, Donahue, and Evans. S.J. 243 .
- Feb 3, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education. S.J. 187 .
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.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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