PE 427 - Academic Freedom

A. Dismissal will not be used to restrain professional employees in their exercise of academic freedom or other rights of American citizens.

B. A professional employee shall be entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate performance of the employee’s other academic duties.

C. A professional employee shall be entitled to freedom in the classroom to discuss matters relevant to the subject, including those that may be controversial, but not to introduce into - the employee’s teaching controversial matter that has no relation to the subject.

D. A professional employee shall be entitled to freedom in the selection of textbooks, instructional approaches, audio-visual aids and other teaching aids, within budgetary limitation.

E. Professional employees are citizens and members of a learned profession. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As persons of learning, they should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances.

DATE OF ADOPTION: 8/24/81
REVISED: 9/15/97; 12/18/06
REVIEWED: 5/15/00; 5/19/03; 4/16/12; 12/10/18; 08/21/23
LEGAL REFERENCE: (Code of Iowa) 260C.14
RELATED ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES: