Governor Terry Branstad’s new anti-bullying plan would require school officials to notify the parents of a student who is “involved in a bullying incident.” Representative Josh Byrnes, a Republican from Osage who’s a former high school teacher, says legislators “need more clarification” about that idea.  “Boy, there’s some gray area,” Byrnes says. “Kind of like the whole mandatory reporter thing? If you know something as an educator, you have to report it?…If I’m a high school principal and I think there’s some bullying or we have something happen at school, am I now obligated as an administrator to go out onto the social media and find out if there is cyber-bullying going on between those two students, too?”

According to the governor’s staff, parents can’t act to protect their kids if they don’t know there is a problem and that “parental notification requirement” would help. Branstad’s proposal would give school officials “discretion” to respond to bullying outside of school if someone files a complaint and the alleged bullying has “significant mpact on students on school grounds.” Representative Frank Wood, a Democrat from Ellsworth who is a principal at North Scott High School, says that’s already his school’s policy, spelled out in the student handbook.

“To me, it’s just like fighting off of school grounds. We don’t do anything off of school grounds, but if it’s brought onto school grounds, now we can deal with it,” Wood says. “Same thing with cyberbullying, any type of bullying — if it becomes a school issue, we can deal with it.” Wood predicts Republican concerns about infringing on parental rights will ultimately doom the governor’s anti-bullying plan. “It’s my understanding that the biggest issue is that there’s some feeling that it’s ‘big government’ or ‘big daddy’ looking over your shoulder,” Wood says.

Branstad’s anti-bullying plan requires all “licensed school officials” to complete a training program in how to respond to bullying. The governor’s budget plan sets aside 25-thousand dollars for a series of “webinars” that would provide the training — free of charge — to teachers, principals and superintendents.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) – The Obama administration is asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Christian colleges in Iowa and Michigan over a mandate requiring health insurance plans to provide free birth control coverage. The Justice Department said in a filing last week the legal challenge by Dordt College and Cornerstone University is a meritless attempt to prevent their female employees from obtaining coverage.

Sioux Center, Iowa-based Dordt and Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Cornerstone filed the lawsuit last year. They claim that a mandate in the Affordable Care Act that requires insurance plans to provide birth control pills without co-pays violates their religious freedom since they oppose the use of contraception. The Obama administration says the mandate accommodates religious-based employers by requiring insurers and third-party plan administrators to pay for that coverage.

A Red Oak man arrested Tuesday night at a residence in the 100 block of west Coolbaugh Street, faces of burglary and possession of a controlled substance charges. 22-year old Aaron Gar Nelson was taken into custody at around 10:25-p.m. for Burglary in the 3rd degree, in connection with an earlier incident. During a search of his body, officers found him to be in possession of a controlled substance. Nelson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 cash bond.

And, early this (Wednesday) morning, deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office arrested 44-year old Richard Bryan Jenkins, of Red Oak, for Driving While Suspended with 10 withdrawals in effect. Jenkins was taken into custody just before 2-a.m. and held in the Montgomery County Jail jail on full bond.

Police in Red Oak arrested a local man on burglary charges, Tuesday evening. Authorities say a Red Oak police officer making a traffic stop around 7:30 pm in the 100 block of West Maple, recognized Eric Alan Vannausdle, of Red Oak, who was a passenger in the vehicle. The officer knew Vannausdle was a suspect in the burglary of a hair salon that occurred a few days earlier, and was also wanted for 3rd degree burglary.

After Vannausdle was arrested and searched, officers found a pair of hair scissors in his pocket that had been reported stolen. The man was brought to the Montgomery County jail and held on $5,000 bond.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday evening released information about a single-vehicle accident which occurred Monday night about 2.5-miles north of Yorktown. Authorities say 56-year old Michael Dean Ohnmacht, of Essex, suffered incapacitating injuries and was transported to the Clarinda Regional Medical Center by Clarinda EMS, after the 1994 Ford Ranger he was driving struck a bridge railing before rolling over and landing on its top on the bank of East Tarkio Creek. The pickup then went end-over-end airborne and landed on the frozen creekbed. Ohnmacht spent the night in his vehicle waiting for help to find him, and climbed out Tuesday morning before making his way to the road and flagging down help.

The accident happened as Ohnmacht was traveling west on 190th Street just west of L Avenue, at around 8:30-p.m. Monday. Officials say he had swerved to avoid a deer that ran out onto the roadway in front of his vehicle. The pickup was totaled in the crash, which also caused $250 damage to the Page County bridge sign. No citations were issued.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad is expected to announce that he will seek re-election. Branstad is scheduled to hold a “major announcement” tonight (Wednesday), in West Des Moines. The 67-year-old Republican governor will then kick off a statewide tour.

Branstad, who is currently serving his fifth non-consecutive term, enjoys strong approval ratings. He is touting property tax cuts, education investments and a decline in unemployment as key accomplishments. His campaign announced last week that he had just over $4 million in his campaign account at the end of December.

The main Democrat seeking to oppose Branstad is 63-year-old state Sen. Jack Hatch, of Des Moines. Branstad sounded like a candidate during his annual “Condition of the State” speech before lawmakers Tuesday. Throughout the speech, Branstad repeatedly said: “Iowa is working.”