Iowa

Opponents of Iowa book ban law critique proposed administrative rules

Published

9 months ago

January 3, 2024

Opponents of Iowa book ban law critique proposed administrative rules

Sara Hayden Parris, a member of Annie’s Foundation, speaks Wednesday at a public hearing in Des Moines on proposed rules for Senate File 496, which bans books with descriptions of sex acts from school libraries. (Caleb McCullough/Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau)

DES MOINES – A handful of Iowans expressed their opposition to a state law, and its proposed administrative rules, that bans certain books from school libraries during a public hearing Wednesday.

Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the law — Senate File 496 — last year that bans books with descriptions or visual depictions of any of a defined list of sex acts from school libraries. It also prohibits any instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation before seventh grade and requires school districts to notify a student’s parent if the student requests to change their name or pronouns, among other provisions.

Penalties for the law were set to take effect Jan. 1, but a federal judge temporarily blocked the most controversial portions last week after multiple groups sued state officials over the law.

Commenters on Wednesday said the proposed administrative rules did not go far enough in clarifying the intent of the legislation and would lead to far too many books being removed from school library shelves. Iowans will have another opportunity to comment on the proposed rules at 10:30 a.m Thursday at the Grimes State Office Building in Des Moines.

In his order blocking the law until litigation is settled, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Locher called its mandates “wildly overbroad.”

“The sweeping restrictions in Senate File 496 are unlikely to satisfy the First Amendment under any standard of scrutiny and thus may not be enforced while the case is pending,” Locher wrote in the ruling.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Attorney General Brenna Bird said last week they were disappointed in the ruling and vowed to continue defending the law.

“Instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation has no place in kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms,” Reynolds said. “And there should be no question that books containing sexually explicit content — as clearly defined in Iowa law — do not belong in a school library for children.”

What do the rules say?

Thomas Mayes, the Department of Education’s general counsel, noted the injunction during Wednesday’s public hearing and said “any action that the state board takes in response to this public comment is, of course, bound by any current law.” Should the law be allowed to take effect, the proposed rules would govern how schools must implement it and how the state would enforce penalties.

While the rules are mostly in line with the text of Senate File 496, they clarify that a “reference or mention of a sex act in a way that does not describe or visually depict” the act is not prohibited from school libraries.

The rules also apply only to a library that a school has direct control over, and schools with libraries that serve multiple grades must ensure that students have access only to material appropriate for their grades.

On the portion prohibiting instruction on gender and sexual orientation, the department stipulated that a “neutral statement regarding sexual orientation or gender identity” does not violate the rules.

The rules state a school board would receive a written warning on the first violation, and on the second violation, the superintendent and employees of the school could receive disciplinary action.

Commenter calls rules ‘weak and meaningless’

Five people, all opposing the law and current rules, spoke at the first of two public hearings on the proposed rules Wednesday.

Sara Hayden Parris, a member of Annie’s Foundation, a group that opposes library book restrictions, said the rules are “weak and meaningless,” and the legislation was “poorly written” and discriminatory.

She pointed to the judge’s injunction as evidence the law violates the First Amendment and said the rules do not go far enough in clarifying what is and is not allowed in school libraries.

“Even with the proposed rules, the law has a staggeringly broad scope, such that the dictionary and Iowa Code are likely prohibited books in Iowa schools,” she said. “There was no way the board could have successfully provided meaningful clarifications surrounding SF 496.”

Iowa Republicans have repeatedly defended the law as a measure to remove pornography and graphic sex from school libraries.

Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley said in a statement when the law was challenged in court that Republicans stand behind it.

“The sexualization of children in schools does not have a place in Iowa,” he said. “This is a responsible and reasonable law that I believe all Iowans could get behind if the far left and the media would stop playing politics and accurately represent what is actually in the law.”

School advocate requests stronger language

Margaret Buckton, a lobbyist for the Urban Education Network and Rural School Advocates of Iowa, said at the hearing the department should add more clarification to the rules to ensure that classic literature that does not feature graphic sex is not removed from school library shelves.

Buckton said the sex act prohibition should be altered to ban “vivid or pornographic descriptions or graphic depictions of a sex act.”

She said that would make a clearer distinction between what is and is not allowed in school libraries.

“After passage of the legislation, the education committee chairs, the leaders of the House and Senate and the governor have all stated that the legislation was intended to prohibit pornography and obscenity in school libraries,” Buckton said. “The way the bill is drafted, it prohibits anything that is short of those definitions. Or it’s vague, and we don’t know.”

After the second round of public comments Thursday, the proposed rules will go before the Legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee. The committee is set to meet Monday, the first day of the legislative session, to review the rules.

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Iowa

Fatal crash on I-35 in Iowa

Published

12 mins ago

October 13, 2024

Press Room

NORTHWOOD, Iowa (KTTC) – One person is dead after a single-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon in Worth County.

According to Iowa State Patrol, around 1:45 p.m., a vehicle was traveling southbound on Interstate 35 in Worth County near the 208-exit ramp. The driver lost control of the vehicle, went into the median, through the cable barrier and struck the bridge pillar.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Iowa

Updating Iowa State rankings in college football polls ahead of UCF matchup

Published

8 hours ago

October 13, 2024

Press Room

Updating Iowa State rankings in college football polls ahead of UCF matchup

The latest college football polls have been released, and Iowa State keeps moving up.

Iowa State improved to 6-0 after beating West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday in Morgantown.

The Cyclones are now set for a matchup at home vs. UCF on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Iowa State rankings update

Where did Iowa State land?

On Sunday, Iowa State checked in at No. 12 in USATODAY US LBM coaches poll. Previously, the Cyclones were No. 13.

Iowa State climbed up to No. 9 in the newest AP Top 25 college football poll. Last week, the Cyclones were No. 11.

US LBM Coaches Poll

Here is a look at the new US LBM college football coaches poll top 25.

Texas
Oregon
Penn State
Georgia
Ohio State
Miami (Fla.)
Alabama
LSU
Clemson
Tennessee
Notre Dame
Iowa State
BYU
Texas A&M
Ole Miss
Missouri
Kansas State
Indiana
Boise State
Pittsburgh
Illinois
Michigan
SMU
Army West Point
Nebraska

Schools Dropped Out

No. 16 Oklahoma; No. 17 Utah

Others Receiving Votes

Oklahoma 81; Arizona State 49; Navy 37; Utah 31; Vanderbilt 26; Syracuse 13; UNLV 12; Iowa 12; Texas Tech 9; Liberty 9; Washington State 8; Memphis 4; Louisville 4; James Madison 3; Tulane 2

AP Poll

Here is a look at the new Associated Press college football poll top 25

Texas
Oregon
Penn State
Ohio State
Georgia
Miami (Fla.)
Alabama
LSU
Iowa State
Clemson
Tennessee
Notre Dame
BYU
Texas A&M
Boise State
Indiana
Kansas State
Ole Miss
Missouri
PIttsburgh
SMU
Illinois
Army West Point
Michigan
Navy

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

Vanderbilt 68, Nebraska 62, Arizona St. 39, Oklahoma 36, Washington St. 32, Iowa 29, Texas Tech 18, Syracuse 13, Arkansas 13, Utah 7, Louisville 6, Southern Cal 5, Liberty 2, UNLV 1.

Reach Eugene Rapay at erapay@gannett.com and follow him on X/Twitter @erapay5.

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Iowa

Becht, Hansen lead No. 11 Iowa State over West Virginia 28-16 for first 6-0 start since 1938

Published

16 hours ago

October 13, 2024

Press Room

Becht, Hansen lead No. 11 Iowa State over West Virginia 28-16 for first 6-0 start since 1938

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht believes the Cyclones have yet to hit their peak during their best start in 86 years.

Carson Hansen rushed for three scores, Becht threw a touchdown pass and No. 11 Iowa State beat West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday night.

The Cyclones (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) opened the season with six wins for the first time since 1938.

“I feel like we haven’t even played our best game yet as a whole — special teams, defense, and offense,” Becht said. The goal is “finding ways to get better each and every single week, and our mindset is just 0-0 and trying to win that next game.”

Iowa State forged a first-place tie in the league with BYU and idle Texas Tech.

The Cyclones broke open a close game by scoring two touchdowns after intercepting West Virginia’s Garrett Greene in the second half.

Becht found Eli Green on passes of 12 and 34 yards on consecutive plays to set up the Cyclones at the West Virginia 17. A third-down holding call on West Virginia cornerback Ayden Garnes gave Iowa State first-and-goal at the 3, and Hansen scored on the next play for a 21-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Jontez Williams made his third interception of the season on West Virginia’s next drive, and Iowa State took over at the Mountaineers’ 34. Hansen ran for 20 yards on the ensuing drive, capped by his 2-yard scoring run for a 28-10 lead with 4:42 left.

Hansen, a sophomore who also scored on an 11-yard run in the second quarter, finished with 96 rushing yards, one shy of the career high he set last week against Baylor. He ran for a total of 67 yards during an injury-filled freshman season.

“For him to consistently play the way he has the last couple of weeks, it’s awesome to watch,” Becht said.

West Virginia (3-3, 2-1) was held to 148 rushing yards against the league’s top defense after amassing 389 yards on the ground a week ago at Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers were hurt by several high snaps that threw off their timing and runs parallel to the line of scrimmage that lost yardage.

“In the second half, when it was winning time, we didn’t win,” said West Virginia coach Neal Brown. “We struggled to get into a rhythm.”

Becht completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards, including a 60-yard scoring toss to Jaylin Noel in blown coverage in the second quarter.

Becht’s father, Anthony, was honored on the field after the first quarter for his induction into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He played tight end for the Mountaineers from 1996-99 and 11 seasons in the NFL.

“You couldn’t ask for a greater night for his family,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.

Rocco Becht said he wished he could have been there with his dad, “but I had bigger things going on trying to win this game.”

Jahiem White had an 8-yard scoring run and a 10-yard TD catch for West Virginia. Greene finished 18 of 32 for 206 yards.

Iowa State: The Cyclones answered the challenge on both sides of the ball in winning their seventh straight road game. Becht played smart and efficient, and the nation’s sixth-best scoring defense was stout again.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers many too many mistakes at key times and now have lost eight consecutive games to ranked opponents.

Iowa State might have a tough time moving up when the AP poll comes out on Sunday. The Cyclones were tied at No. 11 with Notre Dame, which beat Stanford 49-7.

Iowa State: Hosts UCF on Saturday night.

West Virginia: Hosts No. 18 Kansas State on Saturday night.

___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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