Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, spoke during the March 18, 2025 debate in opposition to legislation that would change the definition of bullying and harassment in Iowa state code by removing references to students being targeted based on real or perceived characteristics.
The Iowa House passed a bill Tuesday that would change the definition of school bullying in state law and remove a list of characteristics that a bully could target, including a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and disability status.
Lawmakers also advanced education bills pertaining to school safety assessment teams, therapeutic classrooms, and school absences for religious instruction.
House File 865, which passed 64-33, defines bullying and harassment as “repeated and targeted” acts and conduct directed at a student that creates an objectively hostile school environment.
The bill repeals the language in current Iowa code that defines bullying and harassment as any electronic, written, verbal, or physical act or conduct “based on any actual or perceived trait” that results in an objectively hostile school environment.
The law specifies 17 characteristics on which bullying may be based, including gender identity, sexual orientation, race, political beliefs, and familial status, but does not limit bullying to these categories.
The bill would remove this list of potential traits, as well as the phrase “actual or perceived trait or characteristic” of a student from the definition of bullying and harassment.
Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, spoke out against the bill, sharing his experience of being bullied as a child due to his disability. He stated that growing up, he spent a significant amount of time in surgeries and medical centers due to his disability, but that the most difficult part of growing up was “actually my time in school,” stating that he ended up leaving public school to attend private school for three years due to harassment and bullying he experienced in sixth grade.
Turek was unsure whether the bullying he experienced met the definition of “repeated and targeted” acts and conduct. He also shared his experience working with children with disabilities and their families, including visiting schools where these children are bullied to conduct disability awareness and anti-bullying talks with other students.
“I think it’s really, really important to keep in this standard, because it is they’re being bullied specifically for a trait or characteristic, which is their physical disability,” according to Turek. “It’s difficult to be a kid today. Let’s not make it any more difficult or easier for kids to be bullied.”
During subcommittee meetings on the measure, some people claimed that school staff were not enforcing anti-bullying laws if the student was not being discriminated against because of one of the listed potential characteristics. School officials stated that this was an issue of enforcement, as the existing statute does not limit anti-bullying action based on this list.
Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City, spoke out on Tuesday against the notion that having a list of traits and characteristics to refer to was “exclusive” of students who were bullied for other reasons.
According to Levin, the current code provides an important framework for teachers to use when determining whether a student is being bullied, as the listed traits and characteristics are “among the most common reasons for which students are bullied.”
“Taking out this definition means that we’re going to go back to a previous world in which every single adult who has to make these determinations has to do so purely on their own experiences and their own prior knowledge, rather than relying on the wisdom of ages that is represented in this definition,” according to Levin.
Levin said that if state lawmakers want to address bullying in Iowa schools, they should focus on increasing reporting requirements, citing Iowa Department of Education data that showed hundreds of Iowa schools reported no incidents of bullying.
Rep. Helena Hayes, R-New Sharon, floor manager for the bill, stated that if the bill becomes law, reporting of bullying will improve because teachers will no longer have to refer to a list to determine whether an act is bullying or harassment.
“It has become increasingly clear that there is confusion regarding the distinction between bullying and conflict, which has made it difficult for school districts to effectively address and intervene in student issues,” Hayes told reporters.
“Many districts have struggled with knowing when and how to intervene. This bill aims to provide teachers with better training so that they can accurately report and intervene in efforts to protect students.
The bill now moves to the Senate for further consideration.
More education bills advance.
On Tuesday, Iowa lawmakers took action on a number of other education measures.
- The Iowa Senate voted unanimously Tuesday for Senate File 583 , which would allow schools to set up multidisciplinary teams tasked with coordinating resources and intervening when a student exhibits behavior that could pose a threat to the safety of other students or school staff. Similar legislatio n is advancing in the House, but senators voted to change references to “threat assessment” in the original bill to “safety assessment.” The bill moves to the House for consideration.
- The House passed House File 522 in a 66-31 vote, legislation that would allow schools to use grant funding for therapeutic classrooms for new supports including certain foods, vitamin and mineral supplementals and exposure to natural light or “ full spectrum lighting fixtures.” Therapeutic classrooms are spaces in schools designated for students with emotional, social or behavioral needs that cause disruption to other students in the general classroom.
While Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City, said the proposal does not reflect the purpose or work done in therapeutic classrooms of deescalating students who are in a heightened state of emotion, Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham, said the proposal would allow schools to be reimbursed for strategies related to nutrition and lighting that some schools are already implementing to address students’ behavioral health needs. - House File 870 , passed by the Iowa House 96-2, adds exemptions to the state’s compulsory attendance law, providing that a student’s absences will be exempted when they are attending religious instruction during the school day for up to five hours per week. The bill was amended to remove language in the original version of the legislation allowing school boards to adopt policies granting academic credit for the completion of a religious instruction course by a private organization.