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Jan. 22 | Assigned to a subcommittee
S.J.R. 2005 was introduced by a group of twelve senators on January 21 and then referred to a subcommittee.
Summary of S.J.R. 2005
S.J.R. 2005 proposes amending the Iowa Constitution in a way that threatens home schools, private schools, and even the right of parents to make choices for their children’s education. The title of the legislation is “Right to a public education.” The language of the amendment makes it clear that S.J.R. 2005 sees the state as the final arbiter of a child’s education.
“The state shall provide all youths… with a comprehensive education…through a system of public schools and competent educators.”
This goes far beyond merely maintaining a system of public education that is available to all youths. It obligates the state itself to provide the education.
The amendment would supersede the parent’s authority, requiring someone other than a parent to be appointed to exercise the child’s right to a public education on his or her behalf. This authority would be handed to a government official—a social worker, a public-school staff member, a truant officer, juvenile officer, etc. This structure gives a government agent the power to decide how a child is to be educated. This is contrary to US Supreme Court precedents, which stated in Pierce v. Society of Sisters that “The child is not a mere creature of the state; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.”
Iowa enacted a strong parental rights statute in 2024, but since S.J.R. 2005 would be a constitutional amendment, it would trump the parental rights statute.
HSLDA opposes S.J.R. 2005.