IA HF2470

Requires the Iowa Department of Education to develop and administer a voluntary pilot program for instruction in logic and critical thinking for students in grades six through eight.

Pilot program runs for two school years beginning July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2028, with the authorizing section repealed July 1, 2031.

Participating school districts and charter schools may offer instruction as a stand-alone course, elective course, or interdisciplinary course embedded within existing curriculum, with no mandate requiring student completion.

Curriculum must be skills-based and viewpoint-neutral, covering deductive and inductive reasoning, logical fallacies, rhetorical principles, debate skills, distinguishing facts from opinions, and the history of propaganda.

Participating schools must submit annual reports to the Department by June 1, and the Department must submit a compiled evaluation report to the General Assembly by December 1, 2029.