Relating to education, including by prohibiting the use of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions of higher education, establishing grant programs to assist schools and institutions of higher education in adopting alternative mascots, modifying provisions related to the Iowa tuition grants program, and making appropriations

This bill relates to education, including by prohibiting the use of certain mascots to represent schools and institutions of higher education, establishing grant programs to assist schools and institutions of higher education in adopting alternative mascots, and modifying provisions related to the Iowa tuition grants program. The bill defines “disability” by reference to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The bill defines “discriminatory mascot” as any name, person, animal, object, symbol, or image that a public educational institution uses to represent the public educational institution and that references or is associated with a disability. The bill also defines “public educational institution” to mean school districts, nonpublic schools accredited by the department of education, charter schools, innovation zone schools, institutions of higher education under the control of the state board of regents, and community colleges. The bill prohibits public educational institutions from adopting or continuing the use of a discriminatory mascot, or from purchasing any new goods that use or contain a discriminatory mascot, on or after the effective date of the bill. The bill requires public educational institutions that use a discriminatory mascot as of the effective date of the bill to adopt a new name, person, animal, object, symbol, or image, as applicable, that complies with the bill’s provisions. The bill requires public educational institutions to, within one year after the effective date of the bill, conduct a review of each name, person, animal, object, symbol, or image that the public educational institution uses to represent the public educational institution to ensure that the name, person, animal, object, symbol, or image is not a discriminatory mascot. The bill allows a public educational institution to continue to use certain existing materials and uniforms that use a discriminatory mascot until September 1, 2027, if the public educational institution satisfies transition requirements established by the department of education or state board of regents, as applicable, by rule. The bill requires the department of education to develop and administer a department of education mascot grant program to provide grants to school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, innovation zone schools, and community colleges to offset the costs associated with complying with the bill’s provisions, including costs related to purchasing new signage, uniforms, and educational materials. The bill also requires the state board of regents to adopt a similar program, known as the state board of regents mascot grant program, to provide grants to institutions of higher education under the control of the state board of regents for similar purposes. These provisions are repealed September 1, 2027. The bill establishes both a department of education mascot grant program fund and a state board of regents mascot grant program fund in the state treasury and appropriates from the general fund of the state to each fund, for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2025, and each succeeding fiscal year, an amount necessary to pay all grants approved under the grant programs for that fiscal year. These provisions are repealed September 1, 2027.183 (Iowa tuition grants program), as a condition of participation in the Iowa tuition grants program, to comply with the bill’s provisions in the same manner as a community college. The bill allows accredited private institutions and eligible institutions to apply for and receive grants under the department of education mascot grant program.