DES MOINES, Iowa — Starting Jan. 1, 2024, Iowa school employees can be penalized for not following the guidelines highlighted in Senate File 496. Dr. Ian Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, met with Local 5 to discuss how the district is navigating the law.
Senate File 496, which was passed earlier this year, requires schools to remove books describing or including visual depictions of a "sex act".
Offenders, including teachers, librarians or even superintendents, could get written warnings, or be called before the Iowa Board of Education Examiners for a hearing.
Some school districts have expressed concern with how unclear the guidelines for the law have been, while others have released lists of books they plan to remove from school libraries in compliance with the legislation.
However, unlike other schools, Roberts says Des Moines Public Schools will not release a list of books to be removed from school libraries.
"We have not created a list," Roberts said. "We do not intend to create a list of banned books. But what we are committed to doing is certainly to keep our finger on the pulse of what is happening legally in terms of response to the law."
Roberts referenced the two lawsuits filed over the state's education law. Legal teams for one of those lawsuits against Gov. Kim Reynolds and the state's Department of Education will be in federal court Friday morning.
However, as the law remains in effect amid legal troubles, Roberts mentioned he and the state's largest public school district will continue to comply with the education law, "but also not compromising the quality of education by exposing our students to a number of different books."
He added he'll make sure this law doesn't interfere with students' learning with a "continuous review of our curriculum materials. Continuing to conduct audits if you may, of our library resources. Both libraries in our schools, and certainly in our classrooms."
As for future educational plans, Roberts said he's talked with state legislators about his wishes for strengthening education in the upcoming legislative session.
He hopes both parties will propose legislation to compensate the district's teachers "appropriately". In addition, Roberts said his number one priority is pushing to build more all-day preschools throughout the district.