Bill on history, social studies class requirements clears Legislature

Iowa House lawmakers sent a bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds Wednesday that would add requirements for instruction in social studies classes related to the history of the U.S. and western civilization.

House File 2545 would require the Iowa Department of Education director to conduct a review and make recommendations on the state’s curriculum and content standards. The Senate amended and passed the legislation Tuesday evening to include components of a previous House proposal on social studies curriculum requirements.

The bill would direct the Iowa Board of Education to review and make changes to the state’s social studies core curriculum standards by Dec. 31, 2025. The standards would require that Iowa students in grades 1 through 12 receive instruction on important events and influential people in the history of western civilization, the U.S. and the state of Iowa. Classes would also be required to cover the structure and role of U.S. and state government, how it differs from other forms of government and “the crimes against humanity that have occurred under communist regimes since 1917.”

Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, said the Senate amendment was a “majorly scaled down version” of what the House passed previously. He said he would prefer the bill be “a lot more prescriptive than it is right now,” saying that many students are not receiving instruction on subjects from the Korean War to the more recent “War on Terror.”

He also said this lack of instruction on American history and the Founding Fathers is what has led to recent movements like calls to tear down statutes of people like Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, primary author of the Declaration of Independence, spoke and wrote in opposition to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade throughout his life, while being a slaveowner himself.

“The problem in this country is we have people that want to tear down statues of our founding fathers, which tells me that they’re not getting, I would say, the full view of history,” Wheeler said. “They’re being taught the history, but there is some sort of a specific push being made, to tear down a statue of Thomas Jefferson. If you knew the whole history of Thomas Jefferson, yeah, he had problems. But also that same guy, in his original draft and integration, attacked the King of England for the transatlantic slave trade.”

Democrats in both the House and Senate said the legislation was putting too large of an emphasis on white American and European history and cultures, potentially preventing students from learning from more diverse perspectives. Democrats including Rep. Molly Buck, D-Ankeny, also criticized the bill as being overly restrictive of what content is covered in social studies and history courses.

Buck argued that while the bill does allow teachers to cover topics that are not highlighted in the bill, having a list of subjects that must be included through new state standards could functionally prevent teachers from going over other material they see as important, as classroom time would be overwhelmingly taken up by required topics.

She also said having an extensive list of requirements could prevent teachers from helping their students seriously engage with and appreciate the topics being discussed.

“Advocating for civics education that might prioritize rote learning over a deeper understanding of civic engagement and responsibility, I guess, is what really concerns me,” she said. “I don’t really feel like an approach that talks about rote learning or memorization prepares our children for the realities of participating in modern and diverse and complex engagement in our society.”

Buck, a 4th grade teacher, as well as several other Democrats with backgrounds in education, urged their Republican colleagues to leave educational standards and requirements to those in the field.

Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison, said he respects education professionals but he does not believe “professionals should be the only ones who weigh in on American history.” He also said he supports the required coverage of specific events and people being included in the legislation, saying that  outlining subjects that social studies classes must cover is needed for Iowa students to gain a full understanding of American history.

“I just kind of think that rote memorization gets a bad rap these days,” Holt said. “Certainly not the only thing we should be teaching, but it certainly needs to be a part of learning. Because I think without knowing certain facts, regardless of whatever the area might be, history or something else, I don’t know how citizens to make informed decisions.”

The House passed the bill 57-36. It goes next to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.