Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 13, December 25, 2024
The executive director is authorized by Iowa Code section
272.7 to grant or deny
applications for licensure. If the executive director denies an application for
an initial or exchange license, certificate, or authorization, the executive
director shall send to the applicant by regular first-class mail written notice
identifying the factual and legal basis for denying the application. If the
executive director denies an application to renew an existing license,
certificate, or authorization, the provisions of rule
282-11.36 (272) shall
apply.
(1)
Mandatory grounds
for license denial. The executive director shall deny an application
based on the grounds set forth in Iowa Code section
272.2(14),
including:
a. The license application is
fraudulent.
b. The applicant's
license or certification from another state is suspended or revoked.
c. The applicant fails to meet board
standards for application or for license renewal.
d. The applicant is less than 21 years of
age, except that a coaching authorization or paraeducator certificate may be
issued to an applicant who is 18 years of age or older, as provided in Iowa
Code sections 272.12 and
272.31. A student enrolled in a
practitioner preparation program who meets board requirements for a temporary,
limited purpose license and who is seeking to teach as part of the practicum or
internship may be less than 21 years of age.
e. The applicant has been convicted of one of
the disqualifying criminal convictions set forth in paragraph
11.35(2)"a."
(2)
Conviction of a crime and founded
child abuse.
a.
Disqualifying criminal convictions. The board shall deny an
application for licensure if the applicant or licensee has been convicted, has
pled guilty to, or has been found guilty of the following criminal offenses,
regardless of whether the judgment of conviction or sentence was deferred:
(1) Any of the following forcible felonies
included in Iowa Code section
702.11: child endangerment,
assault, murder, sexual abuse, or kidnapping;
(2) Any of the following criminal sexual
offenses, as provided in Iowa Code chapter 709, involving a child:
1. First-, second- or third-degree sexual
abuse committed on or with a person who is under the age of 18;
2. Lascivious acts with a child;
3. Assault with intent to commit sexual
abuse;
4. Indecent contact with a
child;
5. Sexual exploitation by a
counselor;
6. Lascivious conduct
with a minor;
7. Enticing a minor
under Iowa Code section
710.10; or
8. Human trafficking under Iowa Code section
710A.2;
(3) Incest involving a child as prohibited by
Iowa Code section 726.2;
(4) Dissemination and exhibition of obscene
material to minors as prohibited by Iowa Code section
728.2;
(5) Telephone dissemination of obscene
material to minors as prohibited by Iowa Code section
728.15;
(6) Any offense specified in the laws of
another jurisdiction, or any offense that may be prosecuted in a federal,
military, or foreign court, that is comparable to an offense listed in
paragraph 11.35(2)"a" ; or
(7) Any offense under prior laws of this
state or another jurisdiction, or any offense under prior law that was
prosecuted in a federal, military, or foreign court, that is comparable to an
offense listed in paragraph 11.35(2)"a."
b.
Other criminal convictions and
founded child abuse. When determining whether a person should be
denied licensure based on the conviction of any other crime, including a
felony, or a founded report of child abuse, the executive director and the
board shall consider the following:
(1) The
nature and seriousness of the crime or founded abuse in relation to the
position sought;
(2) The time
elapsed since the crime or founded abuse was committed;
(3) The degree of rehabilitation which has
taken place since the crime or founded abuse was committed;
(4) The likelihood that the person will
commit the same crime or abuse again;
(5) The number of criminal convictions or
founded abuses committed; and
(6)
Such additional factors as may in a particular case demonstrate mitigating
circumstances or heightened risk to public safety.
c.
Speech and intellectual freedom
protections. The board may deny a license to or revoke the license of
a person upon the board's finding by a preponderance of evidence that the
person knowingly and intentionally discriminated against a student in violation
of Iowa Code section 261H.2(3) or
279.73.
(3)
Fraudulent applications.
An application shall be considered fraudulent pursuant to Iowa Code section
272.2(14)
"b" (3) ifit contains any false representation of a material
fact or any omission of a material fact which should have been disclosed at the
time of application for licensure or is submitted with a false or forged
diploma, certificate, affidavit, identification, or other document material to
the applicant's qualification for licensure or material to any of the grounds
for denial set forth in Iowa Code section
272.2(14).
(4)
Appeal procedure.
a. An applicant who is aggrieved by the
denial of an application for licensure and who desires to challenge the
decision of the executive director must appeal the decision and request a
hearing before the board within 30 calendar days of the date the notice of
license denial is mailed. An appeal and request for hearing must be in writing
and is deemed made on the date of the United States Postal Service nonmetered
postmark or the date of personal service to the board office. The request for
hearing shall specify the factual or legal errors the applicant contends were
made by the executive director, must identify any factual disputes upon which
the applicant desires an evidentiary hearing, and may provide additional
written information or documents in support of licensure. If a request for
hearing is timely made, the executive director shall promptly issue a notice of
contested case hearing on the grounds asserted by the applicant.
b. The board, in its discretion, may act as
presiding officer at the contested case hearing, may hold the hearing before a
panel of three board members, or may request that an administrative law judge
act as presiding officer. The applicant may request that an administrative law
judge act as presiding officer and render a proposed decision pursuant to rule
282-11.8 (17A,272). A proposed
decision by a panel of board members or an administrative law judge is subject
to appeal or review by the board pursuant to rule
282-11.28 (17A,272).
c. Hearings concerning licensure denial shall
be conducted according to the contested case procedural rules in this chapter.
Evidence supporting the denial of the license may be presented by an assistant
attorney general. While each party shall have the burden of establishing the
affirmative of matters asserted, the applicant shall have the ultimate burden
of persuasion as to the applicant's qualification for licensure.
d. On appeal, the board may grant or deny the
application for licensure. If the application for licensure is denied, the
board shall state the reason or reasons for the denial and may state conditions
under which the application could be granted, if applicable.
(5)
Judicial
review. Judicial review of a final order of the board denying
licensure may be sought in accordance with the provisions of Iowa Code section
17A.19 which are applicable to
judicial review of an agency's final decision in a contested case. In order to
exhaust administrative remedies, an applicant aggrieved by the executive
director's denial of an application for licensure must timely appeal the
adverse decision to the board.
