Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law on Friday allowing the Perry Community School District to use special property tax dollars to pay for retention bonus payments to staff. The law also waives state testing and graduation requirements for students in the district this year. 

The law comes roughly four months after a fatal school shooting on Jan. 4 in Perry, Iowa, which resulted in the death of sixth-grader Ahmir Jolliff and injured five others, including Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, who died from injuries inflicted while he was trying to talk down the shooter. 

House File 2653, now signed into law, waives state testing requirements and graduation requirements and gives the district to provide retention bonuses to staff following the fatal shooting. The Iowa Department of Education decided to waive state testing requirements and other statutory requirements following the shooting, the law reaffirms those actions in statute. 

Other requirements waived by the law include: 

• The required days or hours of instruction
• Any reporting requirement related to accreditation
• The administration of any requirement related to dynamic learning assessment
• The administration of any assessment related to English learners
• The administration of any assessment related to mathematics, reading, or early literacy

On Jan. 8, Reynolds signed a disaster proclamation to provide state assistance to Dallas County and the Perry Community in recovery from the shooting.

“As the Perry Community School District continues to heal, this legislation will provide students, teachers, and staff with an additional layer of support, allowing them the flexibility they need to care for themselves and each other,” Reynolds said in a news release Friday. “We stand with Perry and are committed to doing whatever we can to help the community recover.”