Iowa Senate Bill SF111

Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/23/25
• Refer: 1/23/25

Caption

A bill for an act relating to school personnel training, emergency care planning, authorizations for assisting, and limitations of liability concerning students with epilepsy or a seizure disorder.(See SF 368.)

Summary

SF 111 would require Iowa public schools and accredited nonpublic schools to prepare for and respond to student seizure emergencies. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each school would need at least one employee at each school site trained to administer or assist with seizure rescue medication and vagus nerve stimulator magnet use, with a full-time school nurse satisfying that requirement if the nurse assumes those responsibilities. By December 31, 2026, schools would also have to train all school personnel on recognizing seizures and providing seizure first aid, and staff responsible for supervising students would need that training every two years. The bill also creates a framework for parent-authorized seizure care at school. Schools would need written, annual parental authorization before staff can administer seizure medication, and upon request, schools must work with parents, health care professionals, and school staff to develop or update an individual health plan and, when appropriate, a seizure action plan. Schools must keep those plans and authorizations on file and share relevant seizure-action information with staff who supervise the student. The State Board of Education would be directed to adopt rules for an optional, age-appropriate seizure education program aligned with Epilepsy Foundation guidance, and the bill provides liability protection for schools and employees acting in good faith and in compliance with a student’s plan.

Impact

The bill would add a new section to Iowa Code chapter 280 governing school health procedures for students with epilepsy or seizure disorders. It would impose training, planning, documentation, and communication duties on school districts and accredited nonpublic schools, while also limiting the obligation to schools that actually enroll a student with epilepsy/seizure disorder or a student taking FDA-approved seizure medication. It would also expand legal protections for school personnel by shielding them from liability when they act in good faith under a student’s individual health plan and seizure action plan.

Sentiment

The available record suggests the bill was generally viewed favorably in committee, as it advanced with a committee report and was renumbered as SF 368. No recorded floor votes or committee transcript excerpts are provided, so there is no evidence of organized opposition in the supplied materials. The bill’s structure suggests a consensus-oriented approach focused on student safety, staff preparedness, and clear procedures for schools.

Contention

The main policy issues embedded in the bill are the scope of required staff training, the extent of school responsibility for medication administration, and the liability shield for schools and employees. The bill specifically avoids requiring non-nurse staff to administer suppositories, which may reflect sensitivity to limits on delegated medical tasks. Another possible point of discussion is that the training and planning requirements apply only when a school has a student with a known seizure disorder or seizure medication use, which narrows the mandate and may have been intended to address administrative burden concerns. The bill also ties state training guidance to Epilepsy Foundation standards, which could be seen as a strength by advocates and a constraint by those preferring state-specific rules.