The bill amends Section 256.9 of the Iowa Code to enhance the responsibilities of the Department of Education regarding electronic data systems. It establishes a comprehensive, statewide data collection system that will facilitate data sharing among school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and area education agencies. The new system must meet several requirements, including maintaining confidentiality, ensuring compatibility with existing student information systems, validating data accuracy, and supporting the collection of various educational records. Additionally, the bill mandates that the data collected remains the property of the respective educational institutions rather than the Department of Education.

Furthermore, the bill outlines a modernization initiative for the Department's electronic systems, requiring the deployment of a new portal by July 1, 2027. This portal will enable educational institutions to validate data submissions, perform cross-district enrollment checks, and communicate effectively with the Department and each other. It will also provide access to an automatically updating data dictionary and a calendar of key dates. Similar to the data collection system, the portal will ensure that the information submitted is owned by the respective institutions and not by the Department. The bill is deemed of immediate importance and takes effect upon enactment.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 256.9
Reprinted: 256.9