The Iowa legislative session began on Monday, January 8^th, and changes are already coming to the state. Representative Taylor Collins, District 95, Mediapolis, made headlines when he introduced House File 2077, along with Austin Harris.

HF 2077 would ensure that students who have endorsed or promoted terrorism, or the actions of a foreign terrorist organization be barred from receiving state aid to help pay for their higher education. In addition, the bill also orders that student organizations at any public institution of higher education in Iowa who have endorsed or promoted terrorism, or the actions of a foreign terrorist organization, be decertified.

In a statement, Collins said, “To ask Iowans to give their hard-earned money to people who support our enemies and want death to America, and our allies, is an egregious request,” said Collins. “We’ve made promises to our constituents to be responsible with their tax dollars, and this bill will deliver on that promise by sending a clear message to anyone in Iowa who supports our enemies.”

HF 2077 was introduced to the Iowa House of Representatives on Thursday, January 18th, and referred to the Education committee.

The Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) will present the following Welcome to Medicare seminars at Great River Health locations. The seminars will cover:

• Medicare Parts A and B benefits
• Prescription drug benefits (Part D)
• Medicare Advantage plans
• Medicare supplement insurance
• Identifying Medicare fraud, errors and abuse

The seminars will be offered at these times and locations:

Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, West Burlington

Monday, February 26, 2024 – Registration deadline: Friday, February 16, 2024

Black Hawk Room

1221 S Gear Ave., West Burlington

To make a reservation, call 319-768-3342.

On January 17th, Shaukim Uriah Redd, age 30, of Fort Madison, was taken into custody for his involvement in the November 7th Armed Robbery at Hardee’s at 1431 Avenue H. His identity as the perpetrator was established by physical evidence recovered by detectives at the scene. Redd’s arrest followed a traffic stop in connection with a report of an unrelated theft of liquor that had just occurred from a convenience store.

In relation to the earlier robbery, criminal charges levied against Redd included: Robbery in the
1st degree (class B felony), Burglary in the 1st degree (class B felony), and Going Armed with
Intent (class d felony). Redd had also been sought on escape warrants, and four counts of Theft (aggravated misdemeanors) for separate theft investigations being handled by the police department. The investigation into Redd’s activities is ongoing, and additional charges may be filed.

Redd was transported to the Lee County Jail and incarcerated pending an initial court appearance. The public is reminded that persons charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Governor Kim Reynolds released the following open letter to the state of Iowa: 

If there’s an issue Iowans are most passionate about, it’s undoubtedly about our kids. As a grandmother of 11, ranging in age from pre-school to high school, I understand. There’s nothing more important than our children. 

It’s why so many of my policy priorities as governor have focused on building strong families and elevating education for every student. This year is no exception.  

In fact, students are the very focus of my education policy this legislative session. Whether it’s raising teacher salaries or improving literacy, my priority is ensuring every child has the advantage of a quality education to help them reach their highest potential.  

That includes students with disabilities who receive special education services—and it’s why I’m proposing to reform Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs). 

Fifty years ago, regional AEAs were created to serve children and students with disabilities. These services are critical. From early interventions for infants and toddlers to speech therapy for K-12 students, AEAs will continue to offer the guidance and reassurance families need and the support teachers rely on.   

Over the years, AEAs have expanded well beyond the scope of special education, providing a wide array of other offerings for teachers, schools, and districts. These range from athletic coaching certification, cybersecurity, and classroom book sets, to providing graphic design and printing. In fact, only about one-third of the services AEAs list today are focused on supporting children with disabilities.  

As the AEAs expanded their services, the outcomes of students with disabilities declined. Over the last 20 years, Iowa’s fourth grade students with disabilities have consistently performed below the national average when compared to students with disabilities in other states. In the last five years, fourth and eighth graders with disabilities have ranked 30^th or lower on nine of 12 national reading and math assessments. 

Despite consistently poor outcomes, under the current system schools are forced to send their state and federal money for special education services directly to the AEAs. Iowa is the only state in the nation that operates this way. 

If we don’t do something different, we can simply expect more of the same. That’s not good enough for our children, and it’s why I’m proposing a change. 

Under my bill, AEAs will continue providing special education services as they do now, including Early ACCESS and Child Find. But state and federal special education funds will be controlled by Iowa’s public school districts. I’m also proposing schools get their share of AEA funding for education services. 

With control of these funds, schools will determine what’s best for their students. If they like the services from their AEA, they can continue to use them exactly as they do today. Or they could choose to use the services of a neighboring AEA. They can also go outside the AEA system and partner with other districts to share services or contract with another accredited provider. Or they can spend more on special education teachers and put the funds right into the classroom. This legislation puts control in the hands of those who work directly with students every day. 

And to ensure the AEA system is held accountable and results for students with disabilities improve, the Iowa Department of Education will provide meaningful oversight of special education. 

AEAs play an important role in our state and that will continue. But their role should be entirely focused on students—not maintaining a system. We don’t need the AEAs to be all things. We need them to be one thing: the state’s premier provider of special education services.