Iowa Legislators Disagree On Exemptions From Bullying Policies For Non-Public Schools

Last week (Radio Iowa, Feb. 8), the Iowa House of Representatives passed a bill to require schools to adopt policies to protect students against bullying on the basis of age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, political belief, socioeconomic status, or familial status. However, administrators at religious schools raised objections that the bill could open them up to lawsuits if they teach that homosexuality is a sin. So the Iowa House approved an amendment providing that the bill is not intended to affect the way non-public schools teach about religious topics. The Senate however disagreed with this exception, and on Tuesday, by a vote of 36-14, approved a version of the bill without an exclusion for non-public schools. (SF 61). Reporting on developments, Wednesday's Sioux City Journal said that opponents of the House version were concerned that it suggested "that there is a double standard for nonpublic schools". They say the bill is about bullying, not about curriculum.