Iowa schools cannot teach K-6 students about gender identity and sexual orientation, but young students can’t be prohibited from engaging in voluntary activities related to the topics or shielded from materials directed at others, a Biden-appointed federal judge ruled on Thursday.<\/p>\n
U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher’s split decision stems from<\/a> a law Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed in 2023 that banned educators<\/a> from broaching the topics of gender identity and sexual orientation with students through sixth grade.<\/p>\n The law, part of a wave of efforts<\/a> among GOP-dominated legislatures to curtail LGBTQ education and student activities, bans Iowa school districts from offering<\/a> “any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through grade six.”<\/p>\n Locher agreed with the state that mandatory instruction of sexual orientation or gender identity can be prohibited because it is not discriminatory to information about LGBTQ issues, but he struck down the references to “programs” and “promotion,” saying they were overly broad.<\/p>\n