IA HF2124

Amends Iowa Code Section 256.9, subsection 11 to require the Department of Education to procure or develop a single, comprehensive, statewide data collection system for use by all school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and area education agencies.

The data collection system must establish standardized electronic data collections and reporting protocols, maintain confidentiality of student and staff data, and enable electronic transfer of student records between schools, districts, postsecondary institutions, and the department.

Software developers must allow schools to purchase student information systems that maintain shared database architecture with the statewide data collection system, and the system must be hosted by the developer to reduce administrative burden.

Requires the Department of Education to deploy a modernized portal by July 1, 2027, that allows schools to validate prior data submissions, perform cross-district enrollment checks, and access an automatically updating data dictionary.

The portal must enable communication between the department and all school types (public, nonpublic, charter, and innovation zone schools) to better identify student needs and prepare students for the future workforce.