In a hearing, I always knew when the lawyer on the other side didn’t have a good case. Instead of focusing on facts, he/she shouted and pounded the table hoping to hide the absence of facts with over-the-top theater.
That’s what Gov. Kim Reynolds tried during her Oct. 25 news conference when asked about book banning.
The facts are not on Reynolds’ side, so she shouted, ridiculed, and condescended to public school teachers and administrators looking for specific guidance about the new education law.
She did, however, get two facts correct. At the beginning of her rant she said, “We are way off course. Our kids and teachers deserve better.” She’s correct. Iowa schools are off course and they do deserve better.
But it’s not administrators and teachers who are off course. Lawmakers passed and Reynolds signed a vague, “gotcha law,” known as Senate File 496.
The Department of Education is refusing to provide guidance until Dec. 28, 2023, even though the law must be fully implemented Jan. 1, 2024. That leaves school administrators scrambling to decide how the new law might be followed.
Senate File 496, requires school libraries to include only "age-appropriate" material, stipulating that “age-appropriate” does not include any material with “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act" as defined in the Iowa Code.
At one point, Iowa House Republicans amended the bill to prohibit material containing "graphic descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act," which would have excluded a smaller number of books. But Senate Republicans removed the word graphic from the text.
Pretending to be embarrassed, Reynolds spent a good deal of time reading from the Iowa Code defining a sex act, but she forgot to mention the real “gotcha” part of the law. It’s not the definition of sex act that has school officials scratching their heads. It’s the term “age appropriate.”
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It’s also confusing because the law doesn’t say if one passage in a book might make it unsuitable or if it’s the overall subject of the book that determines “age appropriateness.” During debate on the bill, supporters read selected passages for shock value. That might be fun in a debate, but it offers no clarity.
Reynolds went on to say, “I think its pretty clear, and if they can’t distinguish that maybe we ought to take a look at what they should be dealing with.” She claimed the controversy was “just a distraction.”
What’s distracting for teachers and administrators is fear of losing their licenses for violating a vague, “gotcha law.” That’s unfair.
Since gender identity, and sexual orientation books appear to be the target of many of the book banners, administrators wonder if any of these themes will be allowed even in upper grades. That’s also a huge part of the “gotcha” surrounding this law.
This law was touted as a parent’s rights law. It gave a few parents all the rights while stealing the rights of others. Parents who want their students to read classic literature containing references to sex or be allowed to learn about gender identity lose.
Make no mistake, this law is working just like its creators envisioned. It has sown doubt about public schools in some communities and caused some school board races to become partisan brawls. Whole shelves of books have disappeared out of “an abundance of caution.” That cheats student.
This kind of “gotcha law” causes college students to decide teaching isn’t for them and sends a no confidence message to veteran teachers. Iowa can do better.
Bruce Lear of Sioux City has been connected to public schools for 38 years. He taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring.
www.thegazette.com
That’s what Gov. Kim Reynolds tried during her Oct. 25 news conference when asked about book banning.
The facts are not on Reynolds’ side, so she shouted, ridiculed, and condescended to public school teachers and administrators looking for specific guidance about the new education law.
She did, however, get two facts correct. At the beginning of her rant she said, “We are way off course. Our kids and teachers deserve better.” She’s correct. Iowa schools are off course and they do deserve better.
But it’s not administrators and teachers who are off course. Lawmakers passed and Reynolds signed a vague, “gotcha law,” known as Senate File 496.
The Department of Education is refusing to provide guidance until Dec. 28, 2023, even though the law must be fully implemented Jan. 1, 2024. That leaves school administrators scrambling to decide how the new law might be followed.
Senate File 496, requires school libraries to include only "age-appropriate" material, stipulating that “age-appropriate” does not include any material with “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act" as defined in the Iowa Code.
At one point, Iowa House Republicans amended the bill to prohibit material containing "graphic descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act," which would have excluded a smaller number of books. But Senate Republicans removed the word graphic from the text.
Pretending to be embarrassed, Reynolds spent a good deal of time reading from the Iowa Code defining a sex act, but she forgot to mention the real “gotcha” part of the law. It’s not the definition of sex act that has school officials scratching their heads. It’s the term “age appropriate.”
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It’s also confusing because the law doesn’t say if one passage in a book might make it unsuitable or if it’s the overall subject of the book that determines “age appropriateness.” During debate on the bill, supporters read selected passages for shock value. That might be fun in a debate, but it offers no clarity.
Reynolds went on to say, “I think its pretty clear, and if they can’t distinguish that maybe we ought to take a look at what they should be dealing with.” She claimed the controversy was “just a distraction.”
What’s distracting for teachers and administrators is fear of losing their licenses for violating a vague, “gotcha law.” That’s unfair.
Since gender identity, and sexual orientation books appear to be the target of many of the book banners, administrators wonder if any of these themes will be allowed even in upper grades. That’s also a huge part of the “gotcha” surrounding this law.
This law was touted as a parent’s rights law. It gave a few parents all the rights while stealing the rights of others. Parents who want their students to read classic literature containing references to sex or be allowed to learn about gender identity lose.
Make no mistake, this law is working just like its creators envisioned. It has sown doubt about public schools in some communities and caused some school board races to become partisan brawls. Whole shelves of books have disappeared out of “an abundance of caution.” That cheats student.
This kind of “gotcha law” causes college students to decide teaching isn’t for them and sends a no confidence message to veteran teachers. Iowa can do better.
Bruce Lear of Sioux City has been connected to public schools for 38 years. He taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring.
Opinion: Reynolds tries to defend a gotcha law
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during a news conference about the Iowa National Guard and Iowa Department of Public Safety …
www.thegazette.com
