A bill for an act requiring school employees to be put on administrative leave in certain specified circumstances.(Formerly SF 366.)
Summary
Senate File 518 requires immediate administrative leave for certain school employees when specified conditions are met. The bill applies to school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools, and it also amends related provisions governing charter and innovation zone schools so they must follow the same administrative-leave requirements as school districts.
Under the bill, an employee must be placed on administrative leave if they have a pending case before the Board of Educational Examiners involving child abuse with a finding of probable cause, or if they were involved in a criminal or civil action during their employment in which a court found them negligent and the school is investigating their conduct. The leave continues until the BOEE case or the school investigation is completed.
Impact
The bill adds a new section to Iowa Code chapter 280 and cross-references that section into the statutes governing charter schools and innovation zone schools, expanding the administrative-leave mandate beyond traditional school districts. In practice, it creates a mandatory personnel response for school employers when there is a probable-cause child-abuse case before the BOEE or a negligence finding tied to conduct under school investigation, affecting hiring, discipline, and employee status decisions across public and certain nonpublic school settings.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests broad support, with the Senate Education Report passing 15-0. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate to indicate opposition or divided views in the materials supplied. Overall, the bill appears to have been treated as a child-safety and employee-accountability measure with consensus support at the committee stage.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote record. Based on the bill text, any likely areas of debate would center on due process for employees, the threshold for mandatory leave, and whether a probable-cause finding or a negligence determination should automatically trigger removal from duty. However, the supplied materials do not show any named opponents or formal objections.
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A bill for an act requiring schools to perform criminal history checks prior to engaging any person to construct a new attendance center or to perform certain specified renovations or remodeling work.
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A bill for an act relating to a family leave and medical leave insurance program that provides for paid, job-protected leave for certain family leave and medical leave reasons for eligible employees of specified employers.
A bill for an act relating to a family leave and medical leave insurance program that provides for paid, job-protected leave for certain family leave and medical leave reasons for eligible employees of specified employers.
A bill for an act relating to a family leave and medical leave insurance program that provides for paid, job-protected leave for certain family leave and medical leave reasons for eligible employees of specified employers.