(Des Moines) Schools could use state grant funding for therapeutic classrooms to provide access to vitamin and mineral supplementals, “minimally processed whole foods” and exposure to natural light under a bill advanced by a House subcommittee Monday.
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham, deals with Iowa’s Therapeutic Classroom Grant. The grants provide funding through the state Department of Education for schools seeking to create or improve spaces that are designated for students who have emotional, social or behavioral needs that keep them from being successful or cause disruption to other students in the general classroom. Therapeutic classrooms are separate spaces where school staff can provide support to these students until they can return to the classroom.
Therapeutic classrooms are not required in Iowa schools, but the grant program, established in 2020, provides funding for schools that want to create or improve these spaces. House File 114 proposes amending the grant program to specify what types of support would be available in therapeutic classrooms.
The legislation includes several food and nutrient components, specifically providing support and access to vitamins D and K2, whole foods including “eggs, full-fat dairy products, beef and bacon,” as well as restricting the use and availability of artificial or synthetic food additives “that may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in students.”
The bill also calls for increasing students’ exposure to natural light or light emitted by “full spectrum lighting fixtures,” and support that would lessen the impacts of excessive screen use. A larger provision allows funding for schools “carrying out any other scientifically supported initiative that a school district reasonably believes will improve emotional, social and behavioral health outcomes among students.”
Nathaniel Arnold with the Professional Educators of Iowa said the organization was grateful to see the bill brought forward as it looks to factors like nutrition that could contribute to students’ behavioral or mental health problems.
“The reason we’re grateful for the bill is that it acknowledges some of the root causes of the behavioral challenges teachers are facing,” Arnold said. “Too often we see teachers are blamed when a student attacks them, or blamed for students’ misbehavior issues. I think this bill does good job of acknowledging that we’re in the midst of a public health crisis, which is a huge contributing factor to behavioral problems in the classroom.”
Dave Daughton, representing the School Administrators of Iowa and Rural School Advocates of Iowa, said that while there are some “good ideas and good suggestions” on support available through therapeutic classrooms in the bill, the bill’s language would mean these provisions would be required — a major cost to schools seeking to provide these support spaces.
Shipley said that was not the intent of the bill and was open to clarifying that the measure was to have the Department of Education reimburse schools that enact these supports. But Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City, said she was concerned about the bill as a directive on classroom management coming from lawmakers instead of from school districts or the education department — especially as the legislation does not provide new funding.
“I’m not sure it is appropriate for it to be coming from the Legislature, and I foresee it having a significant financial impact on districts as written,” Levin said.
Shipley said the goal was not to require schools to implement the listed components in therapeutic classrooms but allow for grant program funding, which he said was appropriated through the Legislature each year since 2020.
“We’re certainly open to clarifying that, and thankfully, this program does have existing funding that we hope will continue this budget cycle as well,” Shipley said. “So anyway, this will be interesting to see how this idea progresses. Like I said, a lot of school districts are incorporating one aspect or another, but I think it’s very important when addressing children’s behavioral needs, that we have every single conceivable tool in the toolbox, because that’s what our educators and our children deserve.”
