The new legislative session began on January 9 and Governor Reynolds outlined her priorities in her Condition of the State address on January 10. There were a number of education-related topics included.

Each year our Board of Education, along with support from the Iowa Association of School Boards, outlines advocacy topics. Below, I've included a link to our district's legislative priorities as well as a graphic that overviews how school district funding works.

Parents and community patrons have asked me how to get involved in advocacy or how to share opinions or recommendations about a specific initiative. Here are some tips:

1) Follow our legislator's social media pages or request that they include you in their communications such as newsletters

2) Reach out to legislators directly via email or a phone call

3) Attend forums

As always, if you have a question on an education-related topic, feel free to reach out to me.

A bill last June allowed school districts to add naloxone, also known as Narcan, to counteract suspected opioid overdoses. Forest City's School Board approved the district to acquire and place the medication in each of the school buildings during January's board meeting. Related board policies that allow administering naloxone by trained resources were also approved.

School districts across the country have cited concerns about opioid use, which prompted the signing of Iowa House File 2573. In 2021, Iowa saw 479 fatal opioid overdoses — up 12% from the previous year, provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows.