DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa school districts would have to notify parents when curriculum or classroom activities include content that relates to sexual orientation or gender identity, according to a Statehouse bill that advanced Monday.

Introduced by 13 state Republican House members, the measure would allow parents to opt out of having their children participate in any instruction or programs that pertain to gender identity.

Supporters said the measure's opt-out is much like current law, which allows parents to opt their children out of human growth and development instruction. Opponents said the definitions in the bill are vague and could discourage LGBTQ-focused instruction or marginalize students.

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State Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, one of the bill's co-sponsors, said the expanded opt-out is needed because parents have a variety of views on sexual orientation and gender identity.

© Charlie Neibergall, AP Iowa Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville

"Not all students, parents or families agree with the viewpoint held by many schools regarding sexual orientation or gender identity issues," she said Monday. "And they should be allowed to opt out of instruction that contains that."

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Emily Piper, a lobbyist with the Iowa Association of School Boards, said she believes school boards can handle such issues. If it became law, teachers could also have problems figuring out what instruction would require parental notification, she said. The Association of School Boards opposes the bill.

"What if we’re having a discussion on current events and there’s a presidential candidate – somebody who’s running for the nomination – who’s gay?" she said, a reference to Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. "Can we not have that conversation in a government class, then, without first notifying the parents and allowing them to withdraw their child from the class?"

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Salmon acknowledged Monday that the language in the bill needs to be refined. She told reporters that her intention is not to have a simple mention of a historical figure in history class to necessarily require notification.

The bill, House File 2201, would also require school districts to provide information about the instruction and its procedures for inspecting and updating it to "any agency or organization" that requests it.

Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy with One Iowa Action, called the requirements "onerous" and said sexual orientation and gender identity issues apply to all people, not just those who are gay or transgender.

Crow also said that an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum in schools helps LGBTQ students perform better, but the new requirements could discourage teachers from including discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity at all.

But Brad Cranston, pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Burlington, said parents shouldn't be shut out of the discussion.

"A parent who is responsible for a child has every right to know exactly what the public school, which they are paying for with their tax dollars, is teaching their kids," he said.

The three-member House panel advanced the bill to the full House Education Committee on Monday by a 2-1 vote. Along with Salmon, Rep. Tom Moore, R-Griswold, voted in favor. Moore said he believes the bill has issues that need to be worked out, but the subject merits further discussion.

State Rep. Art Staed, D-Cedar Rapids, said he opposed the bill because he believes students should have the opportunity to discuss those issues in class and that school boards and teachers can handle it well.

"We have a system for that with local school boards," Staed said. "To say that there's no parent input right now, I think, is ridiculous. I just retired from teaching two years ago. I can tell you, parent input is always part of the process of everything that we do."

Follow reporter Ian Richardson on Twitter at @DMRIanR.

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa bill would require schools to tell parents before teaching sexual orientation