
Shutterstock
A decision on whether or not to move forward a bill that would mandate cameras in almost every Iowa public school classroom happened off-camera.
A Wednesday Iowa House subcommittee hearing on HF 2177—the aforementioned classroom camera bill—that was set to be livestreamed never took place as House members effectively killed the bill ahead of time. The Democratic legislator on the subcommittee was sick and couldn’t attend, and Republicans decided not to reschedule the meeting.
Rep. Ray “Bubba” Sorenson (R-Greenfield) said the bill didn’t have much support, the Des Moines Register reported.
“I was never in support of it,” Sorenson commented. “I think it needs a lot better fencing if we’re going to do something like that and a lot better explanation and a lot more time honestly to hear from the public on what something like that would look like.”
[inline-ad id=”1″]
The bill was introduced by Rep. Norlin Mommsen of DeWitt.
According to Mommsen’s bill, the cameras would be connected to the internet, and parents and guardians would have access to a live feed to watch what is happening in their child’s classroom during normal attendance hours.
The cameras, their installation, and other related expenses would be paid for with the existing funds provided to school districts by the state legislature, meaning no additional state dollars would go to this effort.
[inline-ad id=”2″]
A rough estimate showed the installation cost of these cameras could come at the expense of one new teacher per building.
This legislation follows up on months of Republican efforts to impose tighter control over what is taught in Iowa classrooms after a series of far-right online articles whipped up paranoia, often based on false or distorted claims, over public school curriculum.
by Ty Rushing
2/09/22
[inline-ad id=”0″]

Iowa Republicans make outlawing gay marriage key 2024 campaign priority
Iowa Republicans have made outlawing gay marriage a key goal in their 2024 party platform. During the Iowa GOP’s 2024 state convention on Saturday,...

Department of Justice says Iowa immigration law violates US Constitution
If Iowa doesn’t suspend the enforcement of its new immigration law by May 7, the state could face a federal lawsuit, according to the Des Moines...

Rushing: Iowa State president said the quiet part out loud
I want to thank Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen for doing us all a favor by finally saying the quiet part out loud: all the...

Iowa sets aside almost $180 million for year two of voucher program
Iowa has committed nearly $180 million in taxpayer funds to support private school tuition in the 2024-25 school year, which is almost $50 million...

Kalbach: Immediate action needed on corporate ag pollution
Iowa agriculture has undergone substantial changes over the past 40 years. We see it all around us. Rather than crops and livestock being raised on...

VIDEO: Jochum calls Gov. Reynolds’ summer meal program a ‘hunger game’
Iowa Gov. Reynolds announced a competitive $900,000 grant program to feed Iowa children over the summer, months after she declined $29 million in...