"My Job Is Now Illegal": Iowa's "Don't Say Gay" Law and School Climate

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 4:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Schools and Contentious Policies and Politics (Table 10)

Abstract

This instrumental case study contained interviews with 35 school board members and educators in the state of Iowa to gain an understanding of Senate File 496, Iowa’s “don’t say gay” legislation influenced school climate. Martinsone et al.’s (2023) sustainable promoting of positive school climate guided interviews and data analysis. The key findings of the study were Senate File 496 weakened relationships, challenged school cultural congruity, and systematically reduced equity. The study offers a discussion on the rise of conservative restrictive policies and the ways they constrain educational best-practices.

Author

• Kathryn Watson, Appalachian State University