The following is guidance on approval of training requirements. Please note, these approvals are for third-party entities that wish to provide training to multiple government bodies. IPIB will not be approving trainings from individual government bodies. If an individual government body would like training, the individual government body may request IPIB provide training for them or may work with an approved third-party provider to conduct the training. IPIB will provide a copy of its training materials for assistance to the third-party providers in developing their materials, but approval will not be granted to entities merely seeking to present the IPIB powerpoint.
TRAINING APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
I want to conduct training, what must be included in the training to be approved by IPIB?
The training must require at least one hour to complete (but not more than two hours) and include information on the following information vital to understanding requirements under Iowa Code chapters 21 and 22 as outlined below. IPIB will provide a copy of its training materials.
Iowa Code Chapter 21
- What are government bodies subject to Chapters 21. (Iowa Code § 21.2(1))
- What is a meeting, including defining deliberation and action? (Iowa Code § 21.2(2))
- Open meetings, public rights and government body permissions (Iowa Code §§ 21.3(1); 21.4(1)(b); 21.7)
- What is notice and the requirements for effecting notice? (Iowa Code § 21.4)
- Electronic meetings (Iowa Code § 21.8)
- Requirements for agendas and minutes under chapter 21 and legal precedent? (Iowa Code §§ 21.3(2); 21.4(2);
- What is a closed session? (Iowa Code § 21.5)
- Procedure for going into closed session and statutory reasons allowed? (Iowa Code § 21.5)
- Procedure during closed session, legal requirements, and actions as a result of closed session? (Iowa Code §§ 21.5(2)-(5))
- Penalties and enforcement for violations (Iowa Code § 21.6)
Iowa Code Chapter 22
- Who is subject to Chapter 22 (public records)? (Iowa Code § 22.1(1))
- What is a record, including discussion of public versus private and the content of the record (Iowa Code § 22.1(3); Linder v. Eckard; Kirkwood Institute v. Sand
- What is a lawful custodian and how to handle the records request (Iowa Code § 22.1(2))
- Who may request public records and how (Iowa Code §§ 22.2; 22.4)
- Time frame for responding to a records request and precedent on “unreasonable delay” Iowa Code § 22.8; see also Horsfield Materials. v. City of Dyersville; Belin v. Reynolds
- Costs allowed, small requests, estimates of costs, and pre-payment of estimated costs (Iowa Code § 22.3)
- Costs for legal review for redaction and confidentiality. (Iowa Code § 22.3(2))
- Redaction and confidential records, including commonly relied upon provisions, and any required balancing tests or factors (Iowa Code § 22.7 and various judicial precedents, such as Mitchell v. City of Cedar Rapids)
- Settlements by government bodies (Iowa Code § 22.13)
- Enforcement (Iowa Code § 22.10)
What must be included on the certificate provided to the public official completing the training?
The certificate must include the following information: 1. The public official’s name; 2. The government body on which the public official serves; 3. The training program attended and the name of the provider; 4. The date the training was completed.
How can I get my training approved by IPIB?
To be approved by IPIB, the requestor must provide the materials to be presented to the public officials in the format it will be provided. For instance, if the training will be a live presentation, a copy of the powerpoint and/or handouts to be used would be provided. Similarly, if the training is a recorded video, access to the video recording and accompanying documents would be provided.
In addition to providing the training materials, the requestor must provide the following information to IPIB:
- The person or persons who are expected to conduct the training and their qualifications or the qualifications of the entity providing the training.
- Documentation on where in the program each of the required components listed above are included. This could be by slide number, time stamp, etc.
- Statement verifying the program will be at least one hour, but not more than two hours in length.
- Statement verifying program participants will receive a certificate of completion, the provider will maintain a record of all participants who have competed the approved training, and the provider will verify and reissue lost or missing certificates.
- Information on how public officials can register and any costs to participants.
All information should be submitted directly to IPIB at ipib@iowa.gov with an email heading stating “Public Officials Training Submission.” If any components requested are not submitted, IPIB will notify the requestor, but will not review the information provided.
Approval of training materials will be subject to formal Board approval.