School districts would be required to report to a state board if they take disciplinary action against licensed employees for “grooming” or abusing a student under a bill passed by the Iowa House on Monday, March 11.

Lawmakers approved House File 2487 unanimously. If a licensed school employee is engaged in “grooming behavior” – defined as attempting to “seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a student” to participate in a sexual act, or to engage in unlawful sexual conduct, school districts must report this information to the state Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE).

The bill also includes measures for reporting when an employee is disciplined for an “inappropriate relationship,” such as dating a student.

The bill was amended by legislators to include a provision that, if the BOEE finds evidence that the employee committed a crime in relation to the “grooming behavior,” the board would be required to report the investigation’s findings to law enforcement.

The amended bill also removes the current three-year limit on investigating complaints against licensed employees for reports of “grooming behavior,” as well as creating unique identifiers on the person who reported and the person subject to the incident, allowing those involved to find information about the complaint and investigation on the BOEE website.

Earlier in the session, some teacher groups criticized the legislation for potentially hurting educators’ ability to form mentoring or friendly connections with students on an individual basis, according to the Quad-City Times. The bill was amended out of committee to clarify or remove language that included definitions of “grooming” such as flirtatious behavior and “time alone with any student with no discernible educational purpose.”

The bill, and amendments, were approved with bipartisan support. Rep. Brooke Boden, R-Indianola, thanked lawmakers for working together on the legislation.

“I think this makes sure that we remove the bad actors from … any of our children, any of our schools,” Boden said. “This is definitely a great bipartisan effort.”

The measure moves to the Senate for further consideration.