Ty Rushing

Iowa Sen. Sandy Salmon (R-Janesville) is hellbent on removing social-emotional learning (SEL) from the state’s public schools, and she has a small but vocal and politically-motivated group of supporters backing her. Salmon introduced a bill to ban the Iowa Department of Education from promoting SEL and chaired a Senate subcommittee that voted to move the…

Iowa Republican lawmakers promised that passing the private school voucher bill was only the beginning of their plan to reshape education and fight against public school “indoctrination” during an event in Des Moines on Thursday. Moms for Liberty, a Florida-based right-wing organization that has led a nationwide crusade to ban books they don’t approve of,…

Concerns were raised today about a House Republican bill that would create a system to report educators for teaching banned “divisive concepts” from a new law—which can include forms of racism and sexism—in Iowa public schools and that would also levy fines on school districts where it was proven to have taken place. During a…

Opponents of SF83, which has been nicknamed Iowa’s “Don’t Say Trans” bill, spoke passionately about the proposed legislation during an Iowa Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, but the measure still moved forward in a 2-1 vote. The bill would bar the teaching of gender identity from K-8 school curriculum and would allow parents/guardians to take…

Two years ago, Iowa Republicans passed a divisive concepts law—which outlawed the non-existent threat of critical race theory and other topics being taught in public schools—and now they’re looking to add expensive civil penalties to the measure. They also want Iowans’ help in reporting public school educators for any perceived violation. House Education Committee Chair…

Dr. Megan Srinivas, an infectious disease expert who made a mark nationally in 2020, was a busy woman even before she became the representative for Iowa House District 30, which covers southwest Des Moines.  She contracts with various medical facilities and medical research organizations including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health…

Rep. Jerome Amos Jr. was a career man at John Deere in Waterloo, but it was being an active member of the UAW local that inspired him to become involved in politics. During a union training session in Black Lake, Minnesota, a presenter told members in attendance to get involved in local politics. “There’s not…

A bill introduced this week in the Iowa Senate would ban people under age 18 from seeking gender-affirming medical care and make medical practitioners legally and civilly liable for providing related treatment.  Keenan Crow of One Iowa, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, said SF 110 is a potential death sentence for trans kids in Iowa.…

The third time was indeed the charm for Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to implement a private school voucher program in Iowa. The Iowa House passed her bill 55-45 on Monday—all Democrats voted against it, along with nine Republicans—after a nearly five-hour floor debate that saw legislators tell heartfelt stories about what public education has done…

Rep. Jeff Shipley connected the murder of a Fairfield teacher to a student charged in her killing being denied a voucher to leave the public school over his family’s disagreement over masking policy. During floor remarks, Shipley cited an April 21, 2021, Fairfield School Board meeting in which a parent of one of the two…