The Lewis Central board approved a set of board policy updates on June 2 that reflect changes in Iowa law and recommendations from the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). The first and final reading passed on a roll-call vote.

Why it matters: the changes revise language and procedures across multiple policies to align district policy with state law, including how harassment and discrimination claims are defined and how student or staff recordings are handled.

Superintendent Dr. Hartman and staff walked the board through several notable changes recommended by IASB and required by recent legislative action. Dr. Hartman said one major change involved the list of protected attributes under the bullying and harassment policy: "the word gender identity has been taken out of any of the language throughout our entire board series," he said, adding that policy must mirror state law to avoid putting administrators between conflicting directives.

Another newly required policy clarified rules for recordings on school property, including that non-district recordings may be regulated, that recordings of students are considered educational records in some circumstances, and that employees should not record students or staff without knowledge because doing so may lead to disciplinary action. Dr. Hartman described the policy as aligning district practice with state law and noted the intent is to prevent improper posting or sharing of recordings and to protect privacy.

The review also proposed streamlining the district’s complaint-investigation pathway. The updated process reflects a change from a multi-level local review sequence the district previously used to a more condensed investigatory route required by the revised state guidance; Dr. Hartman said this aligns board policy with state law to avoid conflicting obligations for administrators.

The board approved the recommended policy updates on a roll-call vote; board members discussed the legal implications and the district’s continued discretion to address inappropriate behavior even when specific statutory criteria are not met.