Bill Text: IA SF31 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: A bill for an act authorizing a school district to adopt a mandatory uniform policy.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-01-17 - Subcommittee: Greene, Lofgren, and Quirmbach. S.J. 93. [SF31 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-SF31-Introduced.html

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Senate File 31 - Introduced




                                 SENATE FILE       
                                 BY  ZAUN

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act  authorizing a school district to adopt a mandatory
  2    uniform policy.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    TLSB 1570XS (2) 87
    kh/sc

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 279.58, subsection 1, Code 2017, is
  1  2 amended by striking the subsection.
  1  3    Sec. 2.  Section 279.58, subsection 2, Code 2017, is amended
  1  4 to read as follows:
  1  5    2.  The board of directors of a school district may adopt,
  1  6 for the district or for an individual school within the
  1  7 district,  a mandatory uniform policy or a dress code policy
  1  8 that prohibits students from wearing gang=related or other
  1  9 specific apparel if the board determines that the such a policy
  1 10 is necessary for the health, safety, or positive educational
  1 11 environment of students and staff in the school environment or
  1 12 for the appropriate discipline and operation of the school.
  1 13    3.  Adoption and enforcement of a mandatory uniform policy
  1 14 or a dress code policy pursuant to this section is not a
  1 15 violation of section 280.22 if the policy is viewpoint neutral,
  1 16 is reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns, or
  1 17 protects students from sexually explicit, indecent, or lewd
  1 18 speech.
  1 19                           EXPLANATION
  1 20 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  1 21 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  1 22    This bill authorizes a school district to adopt, for the
  1 23 school district or for an individual school, a mandatory
  1 24 uniform policy, in addition to the dress code policy currently
  1 25 authorized by the Code, if the board determines that a
  1 26 mandatory uniform policy is necessary for the health, safety,
  1 27 or positive educational environment of students and staff in
  1 28 the school environment or for the appropriate discipline and
  1 29 operation of the school.
  1 30    The bill provides that a mandatory uniform policy is not
  1 31 a violation of Code section 280.22, which establishes that
  1 32 public school students have the right to exercise freedom of
  1 33 speech, if the mandatory uniform policy is viewpoint neutral,
  1 34 is reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns, or
  1 35 protects students from sexually explicit, indecent, or lewd
  2  1 speech.
  2  2    The bill eliminates the general assembly's findings and
  2  3 declarations regarding a dress code policy.
       LSB 1570XS (2) 87
       kh/sc