Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City and has been connected to Iowa’s public schools for 38 years. He taught for eleven years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association regional director for 27 years until retiring. He can be reached at BruceLear2419@gmail.com 

We’ve all attended parties living two hours beyond when it should die. The conversation ends, the chip dip separates, there’s more empty beer cans than full. But there’s always someone trying to keep it alive. 

We all know that guy.  He tells another loud, obnoxious joke.  As yawns drown out the music, he shouts, “Let’s play a drinking game.” 

There’s a mad dash for the door. It’s time to go home.

It’s time for the Iowa legislature to end the party under the Golden Dome. It’s as moldy as that half sandwich forgotten in the car, and it’s twice as dangerous. 

They’re proposing extreme legislation never mentioned in their never-ending campaigns. Did anyone hear about Bible study and chaplains for public schools? Did any candidate mention public libraries were a dire threat? 

For a party that once preached small government and local control, there’s a whole lot of big government and a big batch of anti-local control proposed.

Here’s what I mean.

Senate File 138 and the companion House File 448 allows schools to offer Bible study as an elective course in social studies. When I taught literature, I often referenced the Bible since American literature is full of Biblical imagery. 

I also referenced movies, other books, and current TV shows. That’s what teachers do. There’s no law against referencing the Bible or any other religious document. But apparently, that’s not enough.

They want teachers who they once claimed were “pornographers, groomers, and woke” to teach public Sunday school. The bill doesn’t mention any other religious books as part of the social studies elective. It’s not about teaching Bible as literature. This is another attempt to force-feed public school students one brand of Christian religion. I’m surprised the bill doesn’t require the Trump Bible as the study guide.

But wait, there’s more. House File 334 would allow public schools and charter schools to hire chaplains or allow them to volunteer. The bill lays out no requirements for the chaplains and does not explain their role.

Apparently, anyone who wants to be a chaplain can call themselves one. The only requirement is to pass a background check. Are parents required to be notified when their child goes to visit the chaplain?    

There’s a two-pronged attack on public libraries. Senate File 235 and the companion House File 521 would remove the Iowa Code section exempting educational institutions and public libraries from obscenity laws. The strangest explanation for passing this bill came from Republican State Representative Bob Henderson at a League of Women Voter forum in Sioux City. Without evidence, he claimed, when the legislature cracked down on obscene material in public schools, public libraries were the recipients of that material. 

This bill opens the door for costly lawsuits debating if a book is obscene. Local libraries already have trained librarians monitoring children’s sections. The party that screamed about parental control over schools sure doesn’t have much faith in parents monitoring what their kids check out from public libraries.

Every local library has policies allowing community members a process for objecting to a book. This bill robs communities of local control and tries to force a one size fits all approach. What may be against community standards in Sioux Center may be acceptable in Iowa City. 

The second attack on public libraries is Senate File 238 and its companion House File 284. Under these bills, local libraries would become ineligible for the Enrich Iowa aid program if they are dues-paying members of a state or federal advocacy organization. State and federal organizations advocate library freedom. So, if a local library is a part of a group advocating freedom, it must be a sinister place. 

What are some solutions?

The legislative session is too long. Limit it by law to three weeks. If there’s an emergency, the governor may call a special session.

Limit Iowa House members to three two-year terms. Limit state senators to two four-year terms.

Limit the governor and lieutenant governor to two four-year terms.

After the three-week session, each representative and senator must provide his/her constituents with a list of five things they did to help Iowans.

As the song says, “It’s closing time, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”