Winterfest
Webster City High School’s Winterfest King Brian Alaniz 0and Queen Caroline Ehn were crowned Monday evening during a coronation ceremony at Webster City High School. But before they were crowned, students and teachers put on a show. Above, science teacher Mark Fisher leaps over varsity basketball cheerleader Breanna Somvong. — Daily Freeman-Journal photo by David Borer
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Winterfest
e to develop in a healthy environment. “When we think about Iowa’s aging housing stock, and we know that there’s lead in our homes in our rural homes in Iowa and in our urban areas of Iowa, we know for children … that can impact their long-term ability to learn and be healthy,” Yeast said. Lauren Gideon, a parent who homeschools her seven children and works for Classical Conversations, a homeschool instruction company, said the bill retains parents’ right to have the “primary responsibility” for their children, which includes oversight of their health decisions and allowing them to receive instruction from another parent choosing to pursue private instruction. “Parents have that jurisdiction, and we have things like due process and innocence until proven guilty to protect them and they belong on that jurisdiction until evidence is provided that they no longer have the ability to exercise their duty as parents,” Gideon said. Gender-neutral language The measure also includes a provision discussed as a bill in 2024 that would prohibit the inclusion of gender-neutral language in grades 9-12 world language classes for languages that use a grammatical gender system, like Spanish. Keenan Crow with One Iowa said there is not currently a problem at Iowa schools’ language classes teaching new, gender-neutral words in languages with grammatical gender systems. “It’s kind of baffling in its current draft format, because it seems to imply that teachers are … being required to make up words — like new words that don’t exist and aren’t in current usage already,” Crow said. “I think that’s obviously incorrect.” But Rep. Bill Gustoff, R-Des Moines, who helped author the legislation, said he has received reports from public school world language teachers that said their colleagues have discussed allowing for gender-neutral options for gendered words. The legislation advanced out of subcommittee with Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, voting against it. The measure will next be available for consideration by the House Education Committee. Iowa lawmakers fast-track casino moratorium bill
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Iowa House bill would remove certain homeschooling restrictions
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House Higher Education Committee to consider bills on academic offerings, DEI changes
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Van Diest Medical Center Board of Trustees meets this evening
The Van Diest Medical Center Board of Trustees will meet this evening in the clinic board room, Van Diest Medical ...
Hamilton County Board of Supervisors will meet this morning
The Hamilton County Board of Supervisors will meet this morning in the basement conference room at the Hamilton ...