District 6 Senator Jason Schultz of Schleswig joined Carroll Broadcasting this morning (Tuesday) to recap the 2024 Legislative Session. Heading into the session in January, Schultz says he thought school safety would be the sole focus for legislators after the school shooting in Perry.
Iowa already permitted armed staff on school grounds with the school board’s approval, but the practice was functionally prohibited as insurance companies refused to provide liability coverage for interested districts. In this session, the legislature granted staff the ability to acquire a professional permit and qualified immunity to prevent insurance from overruling Iowa law. Schultz notes this is not a mandate, but it does give school officials an additional option when considering school safety. He says the bill also frees up funding for security measures at attendance centers.
The bill that diverted attention from school safety was Governor Kim Reynolds’ proposed Area Education Agency (AEA) reforms. Senator Schultz notes that the bill’s final version, which was significantly different from the governor’s initial proposal, does not adequately address the educational gaps that led to the AEAs becoming a contentious issue at the statehouse.
Schultz adds the biggest policy win to him in that bill is the addition of superintendents to the AEAs’ governing boards, as they are the “customers” and are motivated to keep services focused on student achievement. Schultz says the sleeper legislation of the session was a behavioral mental health bill that significantly overhauls the state’s mental health services.
The bill combines the 32 mental health and substance abuse regions into seven wards, overseen by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The full interview with Sen. Schultz from Tuesday morning on KCIM is included below.
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