1 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, §256.

11

256.11 Educational standards.

The state board shall adopt rules under chapter 17A and a procedure for accrediting
all public and nonpublic schools in Iowa offering instruction at any or all levels from the
prekindergarten level through grade twelve. The rules of the state board shall require that
an age-appropriate, multicultural, and gender-fair approach is used by schools and school
districts. The educational program shall be taught from an age-appropriate, multicultural,
and gender-fair approach. Global perspectives shall be incorporated into all levels of the
educational program. The rules adopted by the state board pursuant to section 256.17, Code
Supplement 1987, to establish new standards shall satisfy the requirements of this section to
adopt rules to implement the educational program contained in this section. The educational
program shall be as follows:
1. a. If a school offers a prekindergarten program, the program shall be designed to help
children to work and play with others, to express themselves, to learn to use and manage
their bodies, and to extend their interests and understanding of the world about them. The
prekindergarten program shall encourage cooperative efforts between home and school and
shall focus on community resources. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a
prekindergarten teacher shall hold a license certifying that the holder is qualified to teach
in prekindergarten. A nonpublic school which offers only a prekindergarten may, but is not
required to, seek and obtain accreditation.
b. If the board of directors of a school district contracts for the operation of a
prekindergarten program, the program shall be under the oversight of an appropriately
licensed teacher. If the program contracted with was in existence on July 1, 1989, oversight
of the program shall be provided by the district. If the program contracted with was not in
existence on July 1, 1989, the director of the program shall be a licensed teacher and the
director shall provide program oversight. Any director of a program contracted with by a
school district under this section who is not a licensed teacher is required to register with
the department of education.
c. For the purposes of this subsection, “prekindergarten program” includes but is not
limited to a school district’s implementation of the preschool program established pursuant
to chapter 256C.
2. The kindergarten program shall include experiences designed to develop healthy
emotional and social habits and growth in the language arts and communication skills,
as well as a capacity for the completion of individual tasks, and protect and increase
physical well-being with attention given to experiences relating to the development of life
skills and, subject to section 279.80, age-appropriate and research-based human growth
and development. A kindergarten teacher shall be licensed to teach in kindergarten. An
accredited nonpublic school must meet the requirements of this subsection only if the
nonpublic school offers a kindergarten program; provided, however, that section 279.80
shall not apply to a nonpublic school.
3. The following areas shall be taught in grades one through six: English-language
arts, social studies, mathematics, science, health, physical education, traffic safety, music,
visual art, and, subject to section 279.80, age-appropriate and research-based human growth
and development. Computer science instruction incorporating the standards established
under section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (4), shall be offered in at
least one grade level commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2023. The health
curriculum shall include the characteristics of communicable diseases. The state board
as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum definitions for implementing the
elementary program.
4. The following shall be taught in grades seven and eight: English-language arts;
social studies; mathematics; science; health; age-appropriate and research-based human
growth and development; career exploration and development; physical education; music;
and visual art. Computer science instruction incorporating the standards established under
section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (4), shall be offered in at least
one grade level commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2023. Career exploration
and development shall be designed so that students are appropriately prepared to create an

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§256.11, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2

individual career and academic plan pursuant to section 279.61, incorporate foundational
career and technical education concepts aligned with the six career and technical education
service areas as defined in subsection 5, paragraph “h”, incorporate relevant twenty-first
century skills to facilitate career readiness, and introduce students to career opportunities
within the local community and across this state. The health curriculum shall include
age-appropriate and research-based information regarding the characteristics of sexually
transmitted diseases. The state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt
curriculum definitions for implementing the program in grades seven and eight. However,
this subsection shall not apply to the teaching of career exploration and development in
nonpublic schools.
5. In grades nine through twelve, a unit of credit consists of a course or equivalent related
components or partial units taught throughout the academic year. The minimum program to
be offered and taught for grades nine through twelve is:
a. Five units of science including physics and chemistry; the units of physics and
chemistry may be taught in alternate years.
b. Five units of the social studies including instruction in voting statutes and procedures,
voter registration requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting systems in the election
process, and the method of acquiring and casting an absentee ballot. All students shall
complete a minimum of one-half unit of United States government and one unit of United
States history. The one-half unit of United States government shall include the voting
procedure as described in this lettered paragraph and section 280.9A. The government
instruction shall also include a study of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill
of Rights contained in the Constitution and an assessment of a student’s knowledge of the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
c. Six units of English-language arts.
d. Four units of a sequential program in mathematics.
e. Two additional units of mathematics.
f. Two sequential units of one world language, which may include American sign
language.
g. (1) All students physically able shall be required to participate in a minimum of
one-eighth unit of physical education activities during each semester they are enrolled
in school except as otherwise provided in this paragraph. A student who meets the
requirements of this paragraph shall be excused from the physical education requirement
by the principal of the school in which the student is enrolled if the parent or guardian of
the student requests in writing that the student be excused from the physical education
requirement. A student who wishes to be excused from the physical education requirement
must be seeking to be excused in order to enroll in academic courses not otherwise available
to the student, or be enrolled or participating in any of the following:
(a) A work-based learning program or other educational program authorized by the
school which requires the student to leave the school premises for specified periods of time
during the school day.
(b) An activity that is sponsored by the school in which the student is enrolled which
requires at least as much physical activity per week as one-eighth unit of physical education.
(2) The principal of the school shall inform the superintendent of the school district
or nonpublic school that the student has been excused. Physical education activities
shall emphasize leisure time activities which will benefit the student outside the school
environment and after graduation from high school.
(3) A student who is enrolled in a junior reserve officers’ training corps shall not be
required to participate in physical education activities under subparagraph (1) or to meet the
physical activity requirements of subsection 6, paragraph “b”, subparagraph (2), but shall
receive one-eighth unit of physical education credit for each semester, or the equivalent, of
junior reserve officers’ training corps the student completes.
h. (1) A minimum of three sequential units in at least four of the following six career and
technical education service areas:
(a) Agriculture, food, and natural resources.
(b) Arts, communications, and information systems.

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3 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, §256.11

(c) Applied sciences, technology, engineering, and manufacturing, including

transportation, distribution, logistics, architecture, and construction.
(d) Health sciences.
(e) Human services, including law, public safety, corrections, security, government, public
administration, and education and training.
(f) Business, finance, marketing, and management.
(2) Instructional programs provided under subparagraph (1) shall comply with the
provisions of subchapter VII, part 2, relating to career and technical education, and shall be
articulated with postsecondary programs of study and include field, laboratory, or on-the-job
training. Each sequential unit shall contain a portion of a career and technical education
program approved by the department. Standards for instructional programs shall include
but not be limited to new and emerging technologies; job-seeking, job-adaptability, and
other employment, self-employment and entrepreneurial skills that reflect current industry
standards and labor-market needs; and reinforcement of basic academic skills.
(3) The department of education shall permit school districts, in meeting the requirements
of this section, to use career and technical education core courses in more than one career
and technical education service area and to use multi-occupational courses to complete a
sequence in more than one career and technical education service area.
(4) This paragraph “h” does not apply to the teaching of career and technical education
in nonpublic schools.
i. Two units in the fine arts which may include any of the following: dance, music,
theater, or visual art.
j. (1) One unit of health education which may include personal health; food and nutrition;
environmental health; safety and survival skills; consumer health; family life; age-appropriate
and research-based human growth and development; substance use disorder and nonuse;
emotional and social health; health resources; cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and prevention
and control of disease, including age-appropriate and research-based information regarding
sexually transmitted diseases.
(2) The state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum standards
for implementing the program in grades nine through twelve.
k. (1) One-half unit of personal finance literacy, which may be offered and taught through
dedicated units of coursework or through units of coursework that also meet the requirements
of the coursework required under paragraph “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, or “h”. The personal
financial literacy curriculum shall, at a minimum, address all of the following:
(a) Savings, including emergency fund, purchases, and wealth building.
(b) Understanding investments, including compound and simple interest, liquidity,
diversification, risk return ratio, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, single
stocks, bonds, mutual funds, rental real estate, annuities, commodities, and futures.
(c) Wealth building and college planning, including long-term and short-term investing
using tax-favored plans, individual retirement accounts and payments from such accounts,
employer-sponsored retirement plans and investments, public and private educational
savings accounts, and uniform gifts and transfers to minors.
(d) Credit and debt, including credit cards, payday lending, rent-to-own transactions, debt
consolidation, automobile leasing, cosigning a loan, debt avoidance, and the marketing of
debt, especially to young people.
(e) Consumer awareness of the power of marketing on buying decisions including zero
percent interest offers; marketing methods, including product positioning, advertising, brand
recognition, and personal selling; how to read a credit report and correct inaccuracies; how
to build a credit score; how to develop a plan to deal with creditors and avoid bankruptcy;
and the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, codified at 15 U.S.C. §1692 – 1692p.
(f) Financial responsibility and money management, including creating and living on
a written budget and balancing a checkbook; basic rules of successful negotiating and
techniques; and personality or other traits regarding money.
(g) Insurance, risk management, income, and career decisions, including career choices
that fit personality styles and occupational goals, job search strategies, cover letters, resumes,

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§256.11, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 4

interview techniques, payroll taxes and other income withholdings, and revenue sources for
federal, state, and local governments.
(h) Different types of insurance coverage including renters, homeowners, automobile,
health, disability, long-term care, identity theft, and life insurance; term life, cash value and
whole life insurance; and insurance terms such as deductible, stop loss, elimination period,
replacement coverage, liability, and out-of-pocket.
(i) Buying, selling, and renting advantages and disadvantages relating to real estate,
including adjustable rate, balloon, conventional, government-backed, reverse, and
seller-financed mortgages.
(2) Units of coursework that meet the requirements of any combination of coursework
required under paragraph “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, or “h” and incorporate the curriculum
required under subparagraph (1) shall be deemed to satisfy the offer and teach requirements
of this paragraph “k”.
l. One-half unit of computer science commencing with the school year beginning July
1, 2022. The one-half unit of computer science shall incorporate the standards established
pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (4), and may be offered
online in accordance with rules adopted pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 32, paragraph
“a”.
5A. a. The board of directors of a school district or the authorities in charge of an
accredited nonpublic school may authorize a teacher who is appropriately licensed by the
board of educational examiners to teach two or more sequential units of one subject area in
the same classroom at the same time in grades nine through twelve. The board of directors
of a school district or the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall award
high school credit to a student upon the student’s successful completion of the course. The
teacher must meet the minimum certification requirements of the national organization that
administers the advanced placement program if one of the units being offered pursuant to
this paragraph is an advanced placement course.
b. The board of directors of a school district or the authorities in charge of an accredited
nonpublic school may authorize a community college-employed instructor who is providing
instruction in the school pursuant to section 261E.8 through a contractual agreement
between a community college and the school district or accredited nonpublic school to teach
two or more sequential units of one subject area in the same classroom at the same time in
grades nine through twelve. The board of directors of a school district or the authorities in
charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall award high school credit to a student upon
the student’s successful completion of the course if the board of directors of the school
district or the authorities in charge of the accredited nonpublic school approved the course
pursuant to section 261E.8, subsection 3. The community college-employed instructor must
meet the minimum certification requirements of the national organization that administers
the advanced placement program if one of the units being offered pursuant to this paragraph
is an advanced placement course.
6. a. A pupil is not required to enroll in either physical education or health courses,
or meet the requirements of paragraph “b” or “c”, if the pupil’s parent or guardian files a
written statement with the school principal that the course or activity conflicts with the
pupil’s religious belief.
b. (1) All physically able students in kindergarten through grade five shall be required to
engage in a physical activity for a minimum of thirty minutes per school day.
(2) All physically able students in grades six through twelve shall be required to engage
in a physical activity for a minimum of one hundred twenty minutes per week. A student
participating in an organized and supervised athletic program or non-school-sponsored
extracurricular activity which requires the student to participate in physical activity for a
minimum of one hundred twenty minutes per week is exempt from the requirements of this
subparagraph.
(3) The department shall collaborate with stakeholders on the development of daily
physical activity requirements and the development of models that describe ways in which
school districts and schools may incorporate the physical activity requirement of this
paragraph into the educational program. A school district or accredited nonpublic school

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shall not reduce instructional time for academic courses in order to meet the requirements
of this paragraph.
c. Every student by the end of grade twelve shall complete a certification course for
cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The administrator of a school may waive this requirement if
the student is not physically able to successfully complete the training. A student is exempt
from the requirement of this paragraph if the student presents satisfactory evidence to the
school district or accredited nonpublic school that the student possesses cardiopulmonary
resuscitation certification.
7. Programs that meet the needs of each of the following:
a. Pupils requiring special education.
b. Gifted and talented pupils.
c. At-risk students.
8. a. The state board shall establish a flexible student and school support program to be
administered by the director. Under the program, upon request of the board of directors of
a public school district or the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school, the
director may, for a period not to exceed three years, grant the applicable board of directors
or the authority in charge of the nonpublic school the ability to use the flexible student
and school support program to implement evidence-based practices in innovative ways to
enhance student learning, well-being, and postsecondary success.
b. Approval to participate in the flexible student and school support program shall
exempt the school district or nonpublic school from one or more of the requirements of
the educational program specified in subsection 3, 4, or 5, subsection 6, paragraph “b” or
“c”, subsection 7, paragraph “b” or “c”, or the minimum school calendar requirements in
section 279.10, subsection 1. An exemption shall be granted only if the director deems that
the request made is an essential part of an educational program to support student learning,
well-being, and postsecondary success; is necessary for the success of the program; and is
broadly consistent with the intent of the requirements of the educational program specified
in subsection 3, 4, or 5, subsection 6, paragraph “b” or “c”, subsection 7, paragraph “b” or
“c”, or the minimum school calendar requirements in section 279.10, subsection 1.
c. Approval to participate in the flexible student and school support program shall
include authority for a school district to use funds from the school district’s flexibility
account under section 298A.2, subsection 2, to implement all or part of the flexible student
and school support program.
d. The application for the flexible student and school support program shall include all of
the following and be submitted on forms and in a format prescribed by the department:
(1) A description of the proposed educational program, including evidence used to design
the program and evidence of involvement of board members, parents, students, community
members, and staff in development of the program.
(2) Program goals and measures of program effectiveness and success, including student
success and performance.
(3) A plan for program administration, including the use of personnel, facilities, and
funding.
(4) A plan for evaluation of the proposed program on at least an annual basis, including
a plan for program revisions, if necessary.
(5) The estimated financial impact of the program on the school district or nonpublic
school.
e. Approval to participate in the program does not exempt the school district or nonpublic
school from federal law or any other requirements of state law that are not specifically
exempted by the director.
f. Each school district or nonpublic school approved to participate in the flexible student
and school support program shall file an annual report with the department on the status of
the program on forms and in a format prescribed by the department.
g. Participation in the flexible student and school support program may be renewed for
additional periods of years, each not to exceed three years. The director may revoke approval
of all or part of any application or approved education program if the annual report or any
other information available to the department indicates that conditions no longer warrant use

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§256.11, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 6

of an exemption or funding from the school district’s flexibility account under section 298A.2,
subsection 2. Notice of revocation must be provided by the director to the school district or
nonpublic school prior to the beginning of the school year for which participation is revoked.
9. a. (1) Beginning July 1, 2023, each school district shall employ either a qualified
teacher librarian licensed by the board of educational examiners or a person previously
employed as a librarian by a public library. The board of educational examiners shall not
require an applicant for a teacher librarian license to have a master’s degree.
(2) Each school district shall establish a kindergarten through grade twelve library
program that is consistent with section 280.6 and with the educational standards established
in this section, contains only age-appropriate materials, and supports the student
achievement goals of the total school curriculum.
(3) If, after investigation, the department determines that a school district or an employee
of a school district has violated the provisions of subparagraph (2) related to library programs
containing only age-appropriate materials, beginning January 1, 2024, the school district or
employee of the school district, as applicable, shall be subject to the following:
(a) For the first violation of subparagraph (2), the department shall issue a written warning
to the board of directors of the school district or the employee, as applicable.
(b) (i) For a second or subsequent violation of subparagraph (2), if the department finds
that a school district knowingly violated subparagraph (2), the superintendent of the school
district shall be subject to a hearing conducted by the board of educational examiners
pursuant to section 256.146, subsection 13, which may result in disciplinary action.
(ii) For a second or subsequent violation of subparagraph (2), if the department finds
that an employee of the school district who holds a license, certificate, authorization, or
statement of recognition issued by the board of educational examiners knowingly violated
subparagraph (2), the employee shall be subject to a hearing conducted by the board of
educational examiners pursuant to section 256.146, subsection 13, which may result in
disciplinary action.
b. The state board shall establish in rule standards for school district library programs,
which shall be designed to provide for methods to improve library collections to meet student
needs, include a current and diverse collection of fiction and nonfiction materials in a variety
of formats to support student curricular needs, and include a plan for annually updating and
replacing library materials and equipment.
c. The state board shall establish in rule a definition of and standards for an articulated
sequential kindergarten through grade twelve media program.
d. A school district that entered into a contract with an individual for employment as a
media specialist or librarian prior to June 1, 2006, shall be considered to be in compliance
with this subsection until June 30, 2011, if the individual is making annual progress toward
meeting the requirements for a teacher librarian endorsement issued by the board of
educational examiners.
9A. Beginning July 1, 2007, each school district shall have a qualified guidance counselor
who shall be licensed by the board of educational examiners under subchapter VII, part 3.
Each school district shall work toward the goal of having one qualified guidance counselor
for every three hundred fifty students enrolled in the school district. The state board shall
establish in rule a definition of and standards for an articulated sequential kindergarten
through grade twelve guidance and counseling program. The program shall be designed to
ensure that the guidance counselor can work collaboratively with students, teachers, support
staff, and administrators to support the curricular goals of the school by offering responsive
services that address the growth and development needs of students and the attainment of
student competencies in academic, career, and social areas.
9B. Beginning July 1, 2007, each school district shall have a school nurse to provide health
services to its students. Each school district shall work toward the goal of having one school
nurse for every seven hundred fifty students enrolled in the school district. For purposes of
this subsection, “school nurse” means a person who holds an endorsement or a statement
of professional recognition for school nurses issued by the board of educational examiners
under subchapter VII, part 3.
10. The state board shall establish, and the department shall use, for the school year

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7 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, §256.11

commencing July 1, 2021, and each succeeding school year, an accreditation, monitoring,
and enforcement process for school districts and nonpublic schools seeking accreditation
pursuant to this subsection and subsections 11 and 12. The process established shall include
all of the following requirements:
a. Phase I monitoring.
(1) Phase I monitoring shall consist of annual monitoring by the department of all
accredited schools and school districts for compliance with state and federal school laws,
regulations, and rules adopted by the state board under chapter 17A, including but not
limited to the following:
(a) Accreditation standards adopted by the state board as provided in this section.
(b) Fiscal compliance.
(c) Federal education laws including but not limited to the federal Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965, and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act, 20 U.S.C. §1400 et seq., as amended.
(d) The federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and chapter 216.
(e) All other requirements of this title applicable to accredited schools and school districts.
(2) Phase I monitoring may include but shall not be limited to the following:
(a) One or more desk audits requiring submission of information to the department in a
manner and on forms prescribed by the department.
(b) One or more remote or on-site visits to schools or school districts to address
accreditation issues identified in a desk audit. Such a visit may be conducted by an individual
departmental consultant or may be a comprehensive site visit by a team of departmental
consultants and other subject-matter professionals.
(c) A review of district finances by department staff or a neutral third party.
(d) A review of local school board policies and procedures by department staff or a neutral
third party.
(3) The department shall provide a public report annually of findings of noncompliance
and required corrective actions for each accredited school and school district. The purpose
of the phase I process is to bring schools and school districts into minimum compliance with
federal and state laws, regulations, and rules and no citation or corrective action may be
designed to require more than minimum compliance.
(4) The department shall provide a written report annually to the state board of any
monitoring review resulting in multiple or substantial findings of noncompliance or
noncompliance findings that remain uncorrected for more than thirty days past the deadline
set by the department for correction.
(5) The department shall eliminate duplicative reporting on the part of schools and school
districts for phase I monitoring, and is prohibited from collecting information not specifically
permitted by federal or state law, regulation, or rule.
(6) Enforcement actions under phase I monitoring are limited to actions permitted
pursuant to paragraph “c”, subparagraphs (2) and (3). Violations of federal legal
requirements shall follow the procedures and limitations of the governing statute.
b. Phase II monitoring.
(1) Phase II monitoring shall take place when any of the following conditions are present:
(a) When either the annual monitoring or the biennial on-site visit of phase I indicates
that an accredited school or school district is deficient and fails to be in compliance with
accreditation standards.
(b) In response to a petition filed with the director requesting such an accreditation
committee visitation that is signed by eligible electors residing in the school district equal in
number to at least twenty percent of the registered voters of the school district.
(c) In response to a petition filed with the director requesting such an accreditation
committee visitation that is signed by twenty percent or more of the parents or guardians
who have children enrolled in the school or school district.
(d) At the direction of the state board.
(e) The school budget review committee submits to the department a recommendation
for a fiscal review pursuant to section 257.31, subsection 18.
(2) Phase II monitoring shall consist of a full desk audit of all monitoring requirements

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and an on-site visit to the school or school district for the purpose of determining the extent
of noncompliance, the reason for lack of correction, if applicable, and a recommendation for
corrective action to the director and the state board.
(3) Phase II monitoring requires the use of an accreditation committee appointed by the
director. The accreditation committee shall be made up primarily of department staff but
may request the assistance of third-party specialists at the discretion of the director. An
accreditation committee visit to a nonpublic school requires membership on the committee
from nonpublic school instructional or administrative staff or board members. A member of
a committee shall not have a direct interest in the school district or nonpublic school being
visited.
(4) After visiting the school district or nonpublic school, the accreditation committee shall,
within thirty days, determine whether the accreditation standards have been met and shall
make a report to the director, together with a recommendation on what enforcement actions,
if any, should be recommended to the state board.
c. Enforcement.
(1) The department shall enforce the laws, regulations, and rules applicable to school
districts and nonpublic schools consistent with the process outlined in this subsection. The
department shall coordinate its enforcement of chapter 216 with the Iowa state civil rights
commission to reduce duplication of efforts.
(2) If, after having an opportunity to correct, if permitted, a school district is found to
be in noncompliance with federal education laws including but not limited to the federal
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the federal Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §1400 et seq., as amended, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964,
chapter 216, section 279.73, or section 279.74, the director shall recommend, and the state
board may do, one of the following within thirty days of the finding of noncompliance:
(a) Impose conditions on funding provided to a school district, including directing the use
of school district funds and designating the school district a high-risk grantee under 2 C.F.R.
§200.207.
(b) Withhold payment of state or federal funds to a school district, in whole or in part,
until noncompliance is corrected. Initial withholding of state funds is at the discretion of the
director for a period of sixty calendar days, after which it is subject to approval of the state
board every sixty calendar days. Withholding of federal funds is subject to the governing
federal statute or regulation.
(3) The director may use any of the following permitted enforcement mechanisms and
shall exercise discretion to ensure that enforcement actions are proportionate to school
district or nonpublic school noncompliance:
(a) Advise the school district or nonpublic school on the availability of appropriate
technical assistance.
(b) Require the school district or nonpublic school to complete a corrective action plan or
plan for improvement by a reasonable deadline.
(c) Recommend a phase II visit to the school district or nonpublic school to the state board.
(d) Refer conduct of school district or nonpublic school staff or school board members,
or school authorities, to the office of the attorney general for investigation.
(e) Refer financial concerns to the auditor of state for investigation.
(f) Recommend removal of accreditation of the school district or school to the state board.
(g) Take any other enforcement mechanism available to the director.
(4) The department shall focus enforcement activities on all of the following:
(a) Improving educational results for children, families, and students.
(b) Ensuring that public agencies and their governing boards meet requirements of state
and federal laws.
11. a. If the recommendation pursuant to subsection 10 is that a school district or
nonpublic school not remain accredited, the accreditation committee shall provide the
school district or nonpublic school with a report that includes a list of all of the deficiencies,
a plan prescribing the actions that must be taken to correct the deficiencies, and a deadline
date for completion of the prescribed actions. The accreditation committee shall advise
the school district or nonpublic school of available resources and technical assistance to

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improve areas of weakness. The school district or nonpublic school shall be provided with
the opportunity to respond to the accreditation committee’s report. The director shall review
the accreditation committee’s report and the response of the school district or nonpublic
school and shall provide a report to the state board along with copies of the accreditation
committee’s report, the response to the accreditation committee’s report, and other pertinent
information. At the request of the school district or nonpublic school, the school district or
nonpublic school may appear before the state board and address the state board directly
regarding any part of the plan specified in the report. The state board may modify the plan.
During the period of time specified in the plan for its implementation by a school district or
nonpublic school, the school district or school shall remain accredited.
b. The accreditation committee shall revisit the school district or nonpublic school and
shall determine whether the deficiencies in the standards have been corrected.
c. The accreditation team shall make a report and recommendation to the director and
the state board. The committee recommendation shall specify whether the school district
or nonpublic school shall remain accredited. For a school district, the committee report and
recommendation shall also specify under what conditions the district may remain accredited.
The conditions may include but are not limited to providing temporary oversight authority,
operational authority, or both oversight and operational authority to the director and the state
board for some or all aspects of the school district in order to bring the school district into
compliance with minimum standards.
d. The state board shall review the report and recommendation, may request additional
information, and shall determine whether the deficiencies have been corrected.
e. If the deficiencies have not been corrected, and the conditional accreditation
alternatives contained in the report are not mutually acceptable to the state board and the
local board, the state board shall deaccredit the school district and merge the territory of
the school district with one or more contiguous school districts at the end of the school year.
The state board may place a district under receivership for the remainder of the school year.
The receivership shall be under the direct supervision and authority of the area education
agency in which the district is located. The decision of whether to deaccredit the school
district or to place the district under receivership shall be based upon a determination by
the state board of the best interests of the students, parents, residents of the community,
teachers, administrators, and school district board members and upon the recommendations
of the accreditation committee and the director.
f. In the case of a nonpublic school, if the deficiencies have not been corrected, the state
board may deaccredit the nonpublic school. The deaccreditation shall take effect on the date
established by the resolution of the state board, which shall be no later than the end of the
school year in which the nonpublic school is deaccredited.
12. If the state board deaccredits a school district and merges the territory of the school
district with one or more contiguous school districts, the deaccredited school district ceases
to exist as a school corporation on the effective date set by the state board for deaccreditation.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the contiguous school districts receiving territory
of the deaccredited school district are not considered successor school corporations of the
deaccredited school district.
a. Division of assets and liabilities of the deaccredited school district shall be as provided
in this paragraph “a” and in sections 275.29 through 275.31.
(1) If one or more of the contiguous school districts receiving assets and liabilities of the
deaccredited school district utilizes the equalization levy, only that territory in the school
district imposing the equalization levy that comprises territory of the deaccredited school
district shall be taxed.
(2) Income surtax revenue and revenues generated by property taxes shall be distributed
proportionately based on taxable value of the territory received by one or more school
districts contiguous to the deaccredited school district.
(3) Revenues that are based on student enrollment shall be distributed based on
percentages of students who were enrolled in the deaccredited school district in the school
year immediately prior to deaccreditation and who now reside in territory received by one
or more school districts contiguous to the deaccredited school district.

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§256.11, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 10

(4) If the deaccredited school district has a negative fund balance in its general fund at the
time it is deaccredited by the state board, the director may order that the positive balance from
one or more other funds of the deaccredited school district be transferred to the deaccredited
school district’s general fund.
b. Prior to the effective date set by the state board for deaccreditation, the school district
shall remain responsible for, and may retain such authority as is necessary to complete, all
of the following:
(1) Execution of one or more quitclaim deeds, in fulfillment of the merger of territory
received by one or more contiguous school districts from the deaccredited school district.
(2) Preparation of and payment for a final audit of all the district’s financial accounts.
(3) Preparation and certification of a final certified annual report to the department.
c. The provisions of section 275.57 apply when deaccreditation of a school district and
merger of the territory of such school district with a contiguous school district that is currently
divided into director districts leads to the formation of new director districts.
13. Notwithstanding subsections 1 through 12 and as an exception to their requirements,
a private high school or private combined junior-senior high school operated for the
express purpose of teaching a program designed to qualify its graduates for matriculation
at accredited four-year or equivalent liberal arts, scientific, or technological colleges or
universities shall be placed on a special accredited list of college preparatory schools, which
list shall signify accreditation of the school for that express purpose only, if:
a. The school complies with minimum standards established by the Code other than this
section, and rules adopted under the Code, applicable to:
(1) Courses comprising the limited program.
(2) Health requirements for personnel.
(3) Plant facilities.
(4) Other environmental factors affecting the programs.
b. At least eighty percent of those graduating from the school within the four most
recent calendar years, other than those graduating who are aliens, graduates entering
military or alternative civilian service, or graduates deceased or incapacitated before college
acceptance, have been accepted by accredited four-year or equivalent liberal arts, scientific,
or technological colleges or universities.
c. A school claiming to be a private college preparatory school which fails to comply with
the requirement of paragraph “b” of this subsection shall be placed on the special accredited
list of college preparatory schools probationally if the school complies with the requirements
of paragraph “a” of this subsection, but a probational accreditation shall not continue for
more than four successive years.
14. Notwithstanding subsections 1 through 13 and as an exception to their requirements,
a nonpublic grade school which is reopening is accredited even if it does not have a complete
grade one through grade six program. However, the nonpublic grade school must comply
with other minimum standards established by law and administrative rules adopted pursuant
to the law, and the nonpublic grade school must show progress toward reaching a grade one
through grade six program.
15. The board of directors of a school district or the authorities in charge of a nonpublic
school may award credit toward graduation to a student if the student successfully completes
basic training for service as a member of the Iowa army national guard, the Iowa air national
guard, the active military forces of the United States, the army national guard of the United
States, or the air national guard of the United States.
16. a. Notwithstanding subsections 1 through 12, a nonpublic school may be accredited
by an approved independent accrediting agency instead of by the state board as provided in
this subsection. The state board shall maintain a list of approved independent accrediting
agencies comprised of at least six regional or national nonprofit, nongovernmental agencies
recognized as reliable authorities concerning the quality of education offered by a school and
shall publish the list of independent accrediting agencies on the department’s internet site.
The list shall include accrediting agencies that, as of January 1, 2013, accredited a nonpublic
school in this state that was concurrently accredited under this section; and any agency that

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11 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, §256.11

has a formalized partnership agreement with another agency on the list and has member
schools in this state as of January 1, 2013.
b. A nonpublic school that participates in the accreditation process offered by an
independent accrediting agency on the approved list published pursuant to paragraph “a”
shall be deemed to meet the education standards of this section. However, such a school
shall comply with statutory health and safety requirements for school facilities.
c. If the state board takes preliminary action to remove an agency from the approved list
published on the department’s internet site pursuant to paragraph “a”, the department shall,
at least one year prior to removing the agency from the approved list, notify the nonpublic
schools participating in the accreditation process offered by the agency of the state board’s
intent to remove the accrediting agency from its approved list of independent accrediting
agencies. The notice shall also be posted on the department’s internet site and shall contain
the proposed date of removal. The nonpublic school shall attain accreditation under this
subsection or subsections 1 through 12 not later than one year following the date on which
the state board removes the agency from its list of independent accrediting agencies.
17. a. (1) The offer and teach requirements of subsection 5, paragraphs “a” through “e”
and “g” through “j”, shall not apply for up to two specified subjects at a school district or
accredited nonpublic school if any of the following apply:
(a) The school district or accredited nonpublic school makes every reasonable and good
faith effort to employ a teacher licensed under subchapter VII, part 3, for the specified subject
and is unable to employ such a teacher.
(b) Fewer than ten students typically register for instruction in the specified subject at the
school district or accredited nonpublic school.
(2) If a school district or accredited nonpublic school meets the requirements of
subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (a) or (b), the school district or accredited
nonpublic school may exceed the two-subject limitation specified in subparagraph (1),
unnumbered paragraph 1, for the purpose of providing world language, personal finance
literacy, and computer science coursework online in accordance with paragraph “c”.
b. The department may waive the applicability of subsection 5, paragraphs “a” through
“e” and “g” through “j”, for up to two additional specified subject areas for a school district or
accredited nonpublic school that proves to the satisfaction of the department that the school
district or accredited nonpublic school has made every reasonable effort, but is unable to
meet such requirements. A school district or accredited nonpublic school may apply for an
annual waiver each year.
c. If the provisions of subsection 5, paragraphs “a” through “e” and “g” through “j”, are
made inapplicable under paragraph “a”, or are waived under paragraph “b”, the specified
subject shall be provided by an area education agency under section 273.16, or by the school
district or accredited nonpublic school if an online alternative satisfying the requirements
of subparagraph (1), (2), or (3) can be made available by the school district or accredited
nonpublic school. Any course not required under subsection 5 may also be provided by an
area education agency under section 273.16 or by the school district or accredited nonpublic
school. However, in either case, if offered by the school district or accredited nonpublic
school, the specified subject or course shall be offered through any of the following means:
(1) An online learning platform if the course is developed by the school district or
accredited nonpublic school itself or is developed by a partnership or consortium of schools
that have developed the course individually or cooperatively, provided the course is taught
and supervised by a teacher licensed under subchapter VII, part 3, who has online learning
experience and the course content meets the requirements established by rule pursuant to
section 256.7, subsection 32, paragraph “c”. A partnership or consortium of schools may
include two or more school districts or accredited nonpublic schools, or any combination
thereof.
(2) A private provider utilized to provide the course that meets the standards of this
section and is approved in accordance with section 256.9, subsection 55.
(3) An online learning platform offered, subject to the initial availability of federal
funds, by the department in collaboration with one or more area education agencies or in
partnership with school districts and accredited nonpublic schools. The online learning

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§256.11, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 12

platform may deliver distance education to students, including students receiving competent
private instruction under chapter 299A, provided such students register with the school
district of residence and the coursework offered by the online learning platform is taught
and supervised by a teacher licensed under subchapter VII, part 3, who has online learning
experience and the course content meets the requirements established by rule pursuant to
section 256.7, subsection 32, paragraph “c”. The department and the area education agencies
operating online learning programs pursuant to section 273.16 shall coordinate to ensure
the most effective use of resources and delivery of services. Federal funds, if available, may
be used to offset what would otherwise be costs to school districts for participation in the
program.
d. For purposes of this subsection,“good faith effort” means the same as defined in section
279.19A, subsection 9.
18. The board of directors of a school district and the authorities in charge of an
accredited nonpublic school shall each establish a policy to award credit toward graduation
to a student if the student participates in the legislative page program at the state capitol for
a regular session of the general assembly. The student shall be excused from the physical
education requirements of subsection 5, paragraph “g”, subparagraph (1), and is exempt
from the physical activity requirements of subsection 6, paragraph “b”, subparagraph
(2), while participating in the legislative page program. The student must complete the
graduation requirements of section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph “a”, but participation
in the legislative page program for a complete regular session of the general assembly
shall count as one-half unit of social studies credit required for purposes of section 256.7,
subsection 26, paragraph “a”.
19. For purposes of this section:
a. (1) “Age-appropriate” means topics, messages, and teaching methods suitable to
particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents, based on developing cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for the age or age group. “Age-appropriate” does
not include any material with descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act as defined in
section 702.17.
(2) Notwithstanding subparagraph (1), for purposes of the human growth and
development curriculum, “age-appropriate” means the same as defined in section 279.50.
b. “Research-based” means the same as defined in section 279.50.
86 Acts, ch 1245, §1411; 87 Acts, ch 224, §26; 87 Acts, ch 233, §451; 88 Acts, ch 1018, §1,
2; 88 Acts, ch 1262, §1, 2; 89 Acts, ch 210, §4, 5; 89 Acts, ch 265, §23 – 26; 89 Acts, ch 278,
§1, 2; 89 Acts, ch 319, §39, 40; 90 Acts, ch 1272, §32, 39, 40; 91 Acts, ch 104, §1; 91 Acts, ch
193, §1; 92 Acts, ch 1088, §1; 92 Acts, ch 1127, §1, 2; 92 Acts, ch 1159, §2; 92 Acts, ch 1163,
§58; 93 Acts, ch 127, §1, 2; 94 Acts, ch 1091, §13; 94 Acts, ch 1152, §1; 2001 Acts, ch 56, §11;
2001 Acts, ch 159, §1 – 3; 2002 Acts, ch 1140, §7; 2004 Acts, ch 1027, §1; 2005 Acts, ch 3, §55;
2006 Acts, ch 1182, §2; 2007 Acts, ch 42, §1; 2007 Acts, ch 98, §2, 3; 2007 Acts, ch 108, §4;
2007 Acts, ch 148, §7; 2008 Acts, ch 1031, §42; 2008 Acts, ch 1187, §142, 145; 2009 Acts, ch
50, §1, 2; 2009 Acts, ch 57, §74; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §180; 2010 Acts, ch 1064, §1, 2; 2013 Acts,
ch 121, §89; 2016 Acts, ch 1108, §26 – 28; 2016 Acts, ch 1138, §15, 24; 2017 Acts, ch 29, §58;
2018 Acts, ch 1083, §2; 2018 Acts, ch 1119, §20, 21; 2018 Acts, ch 1163, §10; 2019 Acts, ch 93,
§1; 2020 Acts, ch 1062, §37; 2020 Acts, ch 1107, §5; 2020 Acts, ch 1117, §9, 10; 2021 Acts, ch
88, §1; 2021 Acts, ch 105, §1; 2021 Acts, ch 134, §1; 2021 Acts, ch 139, §1; 2021 Acts, ch 170,
§28; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §985, 2524, 2545 – 2547; 2023 Acts, ch 90, §11, 14, 16 – 20; 2023 Acts,
ch 91, §1 – 4; 2023 Acts, ch 119, §25
Referred to in §161A.7, 237.1, 237A.1, 256.7, 256.9, 256.10A, 256.11B, 256.125, 256.129, 256.130, 256.133, 256.136, 256.137, 256E.7,
257.11, 257.31, 261E.8, 261E.9, 261I.1, 273.2, 279.50, 279.50A, 279.61, 280.2, 280.3, 280A.1, 282.18, 282.34, 285.16, 298A.2, 299.2, 299.24,
422.7(22)(c), 422.11S, 422.12, 455E.8, 483A.27, 514C.35, 714.19
Career and technical agriculture education; §280.20
See Code editor’s note at the beginning of this Code volume
Unnumbered paragraph 1 amended
Subsection 1, paragraph a amended
Subsections 2, 3, 4, 9, 9A, and 9B amended
Subsection 5, paragraphs f, g, i, and k amended
Subsection 5, paragraph h, subparagraph (2) amended
Subsection 5, paragraph j, subparagraph (1) amended
NEW subsections 5A and 19

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13 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, §256.11

Subsection 17, paragraph a, subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (a) amended

Subsection 17, paragraph c, subparagraphs (1) and (3) amended

Fri Dec 22 21:43:31 2023 Iowa Code 2024, Section 256.11 (102, 30)