Iowa
Iowa bill would require schools, child care facilities to disclose vaccine exemption info to families
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Iowa’s K-12 schools and child care facilities would have to disclose information that parents and guardians can exempt their child from vaccines in a set of proposed companion House and Senate bills that passed Wednesday through their respective subcommittees.
Nearly half a dozen Iowa mothers who oppose vaccines packed into Iowa House and Senate subcommittees Wednesday to share personal testimonies advocating for the passage of companion bills Senate File 6 and House File 34.
“That’s all it’s about, is information,” said Lindsay Maher, an Iowa mom who supports vaccine exemptions. “So we need to do a better job of making that information transparent for parents.”
The companion bills would require Iowa’s K-12 schools and child care facilities to include information about vaccine exemptions in any public communication to parents or guardians following recommendations by the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
Families can opt out of school vaccines if immunizing their student “conflicts with a genuine and sincere religious belief,” according to Iowa law. Iowa law says that that belief must be religious, but families don’t have to specify a religion or obtain a religious waiver.
A medical exemption signed by a physician who deems a vaccine would be harmful to a child is also an option for families in Iowa.
Elementary and secondary schools and child care facilities would have to publish vaccine exemption information on their websites and in registration documents. The legislation also requires the Iowa Board of Education to adopt a rule to require all K-12 school districts and schools to provide information regarding the exemptions to a parent or guardian.
Iowa community colleges and Iowa Board of Regents universities would also have to adopt a policy to require them to include any communication to students related to immunization exemptions.
Rep. Samantha Fett, R-Carlisle, who co-sponsored the House bill, told the Register the bill is an example of informed consent.
“It’s important that parents have the options in front of them if they’re required to make a choice, especially in the school district that says you have to have these vaccinations, you can simply say you also have the exemption, and then it’s the parent’s choice, it’s the family’s choice,” Fett said.
Maher said excluding information about vaccine exemptions is a medical coercion strategy.
“Schools are not supposed to be practicing medicine, and they aren’t, they’re gathering records, but, in this case, we’re using them to coerce parents into making the medical decisions without informed consent. Please pass this bill,” Maher said.
Rep. Tracy Ehlert, D-Cedar Rapids, who is on the House Health and Human Services subcommittee, said she is undecided about the bill because of a few lingering questions about the logistics of the legislation.
“Although I did choose to vaccinate my own children, I really appreciate the transparency and the informative piece of this bill that I can get behind,” Ehlert said. “I am just concerned about the unfunded mandates and I also was wondering if anyone can answer how it will be funded for child care.”
Sen. Molly Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids, who is on the Senate Health and Human Services subcommittee, also didn’t sign off on the bill because the legislation would be a blanket policy rather than allowing child care facilities and schools to deal with concerns about vaccine exemptions on a case-by-case basis.
“I don’t like legislating for everybody because not everybody is a bad actor,” Donahue said.
Fett said Ehlert and Donahue need to understand that parents just want vaccine exemption information accessible to the public.
“It’s not about taking a side on vaccinations or not vaccinations, but it’s understanding that there’s choices, that those choices are laid out in law, and we just want parents to know what those are and they can make the best decisions,” Fett said.
Sabine Martin covers politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at sabine.martin@gannett.com or by phone at (515) 284-8132. Follow her on X at @sabinefmartin.
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on offense, defense development
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on how the Cyclones offense and defense is developing.
After securing multiple commitments on the offensive side of the ball, Iowa State football has landed its first defensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.
Keaton Wollan, a three-star linebacker out of Amery, Wisconsin, committed to the Cyclones on April 21. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker announced his decision on social media.
He chose Iowa State over other offers from Texas Tech and North Dakota State. He previously visited Ames in March, but he also took recent visits to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
As a junior at Amery High School, Wollan was a two-way standout and earned all-state honors for the 2025 season. Defensively, he racked up a team-high 125 total tackles, including nine for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown.
Offensively, he had a team-high 932 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 160 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 179 yards, and he was an impact player in the return game, logging more than 500 kick and punt return yards.
According to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Wollan is the No. 93 linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit in his class from the state of Wisconsin.
Wollan is the sixth player to commit in the Cyclones’ 2027 recruiting class.
Iowa State football 2027 recruiting commitments
As of April 21
- Gavin Ericson-Staton, OL | Lombard, Illinois/Montini Catholic
- Isaiah Hansen, RB | Newton, Iowa/Newton HS
- Koen Hinzman, OL | Hudson, Michigan/Hudson Area HS
- Will Slagle, OL | Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell HS
- Bryson Thompson, WR | San Antonio, Texas/Claudia Taylor Johnson HS
- Keaton Wollan, LB | Amery, Wisconsin/Amery HS
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
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Prepare for more overnight closures at the northeast mixmaster as the Iowa Department of Transportation closes the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 and northbound Interstate 35.
Here’s what to know.
When will the Iowa DOT close the westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 ramp?
The westbound I-80 to northbound I-35 ramp will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning from April 21-24.
What’s the detour when the Iowa DOT closes the westbound I‑80 to the northbound I‑35 ramp?
During the closures, drivers wanting to go from westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 will follow a signed detour.
Instead of taking the closed ramp, motorists will stay on westbound I‑80, bypassing the northeast mixmaster connection. They’ll then exit at U.S. Highway 69, turn around, and head back east on I‑80, where they can connect to northbound I‑35 using the open portion of the northeast mixmaster.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.
Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.
On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.
Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.
The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.
Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.
The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.
Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.
As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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