30-04-2025
Iowa lawmakers change ‘bullying' definition for schools
DES MOINES, Iowa — What Iowa Republicans are calling a 'cleanup' to Iowa code is now eligible to be signed into law.
'Every child, not just because they match up some certain traits that we decided, the laundry list a number of years ago in Iowa code,' said State Senator Lynn Evans (R), District 3 from Aurelia. 'The bill before us cleans up Iowa code and makes it very clear.'
The bill changes Iowa code 280.28 subsection 2 to define 'bullying' and 'harassment' to 'shall be construed to mean any repeated and targeted electronic, written, verbal, or physical act or conduct toward a student that creates an objectively hostile school environment.' It removes the language 'which is based on any actual or perceived trait or characteristic of the student'.
The bill also strikes out the 17 traits in the 'perceived trait or characteristic definition'. That definition reads 'includes but is not limited to age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party reference, political belief, socioeconomic status, or familial status.'
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Senate Republicans argued that by removing the traits listed in Iowa code, the definition of bullying is expanded. Several senators on the floor said that school districts have asked for that change.
Senate Democrats warned of the opposite, that by removing these traits it will make it more difficult for reporting bullying against a targeted group.
'It helps students, it helps schools, it helps families be able to identify what counts as bullying, but it also helps us to track what kind of bullying is happening in our schools,' said State Senator Sarah Trone Garriot (D), District 14, from Waukee. 'I think the real intent might be to make it harder for folks on this list to get the support they need.'
Trone Garriot also pointed out that the current definition in Iowa code says that those traits on the list are not limited to that list, when Senate Republicans said this makes it easier to report bullying.
The bill is now sent off to Governor Reynolds to be signed into law.
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