Dear Colleague,
The Iowa House of Representatives is currently considering an alarming and ill-conceived piece of legislation, HF 2544, that would do irreversible damage to the integrity of history and social studies education in Iowa’s public schools. The bill cobbles together passages copied from multiple pieces of model legislation developed by out-of-state activists, imposing unreasonable new requirements on the K–12 social studies curriculum. It circumvents Iowa’s mandated social studies standards revisions process and ignores the expertise of the Iowa State Board of Education.
The AHA has sent a letter to members of the House opposing the bill and urging it be rejected. “If enacted, this measure would disrupt the implementation of Iowa’s current academic standards. The result is likely to disorient Iowa teachers and do a disservice to Iowa students, all while elbowing Iowans out of their own educational policymaking.”
How can you help?
- Contact your representative in the Iowa House of Representatives to express opposition to the bill. You can use the website Plural to find your state representatives and access their contact information, including email addresses. Feel free to adapt the AHA’s letter or craft your own.
- Share your concerns with other people and organizations in your community.
If you have any questions about this proposed legislation or would like to request updates about its status, please feel free to reach out directly to Brendan Gillis, director of teaching and learning.
The AHA, its members, and other historians find ourselves on the front lines of a conflict over understandings of America’s past, confronting radical activists who are promoting ignorance in the name of unity. Please visit our Teaching History with Integrity site for the most up-to-date information about AHA efforts to combat these bills and for resources and expressions of support for history educators. We hope that you will distribute widely our short videos on Teaching with Integrity: Historians Speak.
The AHA’s advocacy work is more critical now than perhaps ever before. If you believe in the importance of honest history education, please donate to the AHA’s Advocacy Fund to support our advocacy work.
Sincerely,
James Grossman
Executive Director