IA students question need for bill that allows for disrespecting names in school

A bill that would ensure there are no penalties for disrespecting students and school employees advanced through a House education subcommittee on Tuesday morning with support from Reps. Helena Hayes (R–New Sharon) and Henry Stone (R–Forest City).

Rep. Heather Matson (D-Ankeny) did not support the legislation.

The bill states that there should be no penalties for using the legal names and pronouns of teachers, students, or school employees as listed on school records. The bill also has a section banning discipline for school staff who don’t share their personal pronouns in email signatures and other official communications.

The need for the bill is unclear because Iowa passed a law–SF496–in 2023 allowing parents to tell schools what name they want the school using for their student. The requested name then goes on school records, so this issue likely wouldn’t come up.

Hayes and Stone didn’t offer reasons for why they supported the bill other than saying it was needed to protect against expensive court cases.

Melissa Peterson, legislative and policy director for the Iowa State Education Association, which sits in with teachers in disciplinary hearings, said they haven’t heard of any teachers being punished for using a name.

“This bill is unnecessary,” she said. “It is a solution in search of a problem.”

She reminded Hayes and Stone that they voted for SF 496 and they should let that law work its way through rulemaking.

Supporters of the bill argued that teachers don’t know how to handle using they/them pronouns and are facing backlash for slip-ups. The supporters said this bill will protect teachers.

A few trans kids spoke at the meeting and talked about being bullied in school by other kids and by some school staff who intentionally called them by the wrong name, without getting in trouble.

“If a teacher is blatantly disrespecting a student in this way, especially in a situation where a parent has already approved the use of different pronouns or a different name other than their legal name, then that’s just petty at that point. And discrimination should not be protected under the law,” said Sarah, an 18-year-old who graduated early from Valley High School because of bullying. They didn’t provide a last name.

Keenan Crow, Director of Policy and Advocacy at One Iowa, asked where the concern about parents’ wishes had gone.

“When SF 496 was passed in 2023, there was a component in that bill that made parents of transgender students send a signed form indicating how they would like faculty and staff to address their child. We were told at that time that this was about parents rights and their right to control what their student is called during the school day. Now, apparently we don’t care about parents rights or what they want their student to be called. I just want us to have some consistency on what we’re doing in this space.”