The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa requires school districts and charter schools to place certain employees on administrative leave
Last action · June 16, 2025: Referred to Education. S.J. 1057 .
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Iowa school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools must immediately place employees on if they have pending child abuse cases with findings before the board of educational examiners, or if a court found them negligent in a civil or criminal action while employed and an investigation is ongoing.
Changes employment conditions and operational procedures for school administrators and staff by establishing mandatory triggers tied to external legal and licensing findings.
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 District Employees
Employees face mandatory administrative leave if they have pending child abuse probable cause findings before the board of educational examiners or court-found negligence during employment under investigation.
School District Boards of Directors
School boards and authorities in charge of nonpublic, charter, and innovation zone schools are required to immediately place qualifying employees on administrative leave and keep them on leave until investigations conclude.
Key Facts
- School districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools must immediately place an employee on administrative leave if the employee has a pending case before the board of educational examiners regarding child abuse with a finding of probable cause.
- Schools must immediately place an employee on administrative leave if the employee was involved in a criminal or civil action during their employment where a court found them negligent, and the school is actively investigating their actions.
- Employees placed on administrative leave under these provisions must remain on leave until the board of educational examiners case or the school's internal investigation is fully complete.
- Charter schools and innovation zone schools are explicitly subjected to the same administrative leave requirements as standard school districts via amendments to sections 256E.7 and 256F.4.
Frequently Asked Questions
When must a school district place an employee on administrative leave?
How long does an employee have to stay on administrative leave?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
8 actions- Jun 16, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Education. S.J. 1057 .
- Mar 5, 2025SenateCommittee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 518 . S.J. 423 .
- Mar 5, 2025SenateCommittee report, approving bill. S.J. 423 .
- Mar 5, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 417 .
- Mar 3, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
- Feb 25, 2025Iowa LegislatureSubcommittee Meeting: 02/26/2025 4:00PM Room 315.
Show 2 earlier actions
- Feb 24, 2025SenateSubcommittee: Campbell, Pike, and Winckler. S.J. 342 .
- Feb 19, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Education. S.J. 309 .
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.
Successor Bill Linkage
Senate File 518 is noted as a successor to SF 366, indicating ongoing legislative refinement on school employee administrative leave requirements.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools