The Iowa GOP is actually pushing proposed legislation filed on Tuesday in the state House to livestream from public school classrooms, allowing parents to watch children in class—a virtual cybersecurity nightmare. The bill would require school districts to have a camera in every classroom except those designated for special education classes and gym. “The cameras shall be connected to the internet and provide the ability for a parent or guardian of a child in a classroom to obtain access to view the live footage of the camera connected to the child’s classroom,” legislators wrote in the bill.

Heather Matson, a Democrat and former Iowa State House representative, tweeted about the proposed legislation and urged followers to flip the majority-Republican state House. “I cannot even imagine being okay with drafting this mind-blowing example of government overreach that violates all kinds of personal privacy,” Matson said on Twitter. “I’m almost speechless.”

Lawmakers explained in the bill that expenses related to installing and maintaining the cameras should be paid from school foundation aid, which is intended to relieve districts through a property tax equity relief fund. The punishments laid out for employees who disconnect or intentionally obstruct the cameras include a written reprimand for a first offense, a fine of 1% of the employee’s weekly salary on a second offense, and a fine of 5% of the employee’s weekly salary on every subsequent offense.

Nicholas Grossman, an international relations professor at the University of Illinois, tweeted that he’s a parent who doesn’t want his “kid’s classroom under constant video surveillance … I don’t have total faith in public school IT depts, don’t trust the craziest parents, and don’t want my kid’s teacher having to always worry they might accidentally do a thoughtcrime,” Grossman said in the tweet.

A similar bill filed in the Florida last December garnered the same criticism. “It’s honestly ridiculous and laughable but at the same time, also alarming because that’s very communist-like mentality,” Karla Hernandez-Mats, president of United Teachers of Dade, told NBC Miami. “We’re gonna watch them and we’re gonna censor them and we’re gonna make ‘em be quiet.”

The proposed bill was read for the first time in the House on Jan. 11 after going through various education subcommittees. The Florida bill would give districts the option of adopting cameras, but in cases in which districts installed cameras, classroom teachers would be required to wear a microphone and provide a written explanation if the camera’s footage is interrupted.

Stated in the bill:

1. A school or school district employee who is involved in an alleged incident that is documented by the video recording as part of the investigative process; 

2. A parent of a student who is involved in an alleged incident that is documented by the video recording and has been reported to the school or school district; 

3. A school or school district employee as part of an investigation into an alleged incident that is documented by the video recording and has been reported to the school or school district;

4. A law enforcement officer as part of an investigation into an alleged incident that is documented by the video recording and has been reported to the law enforcement agency;

5. The Department of Children and Families as part of a child abuse or neglect investigation.”

Republican State Rep. Mike Beltran, a co-sponsor of the Florida bill, told NBC Miami if he were a teacher he would want to be recorded because of accusations teachers face based on what their students say. “Why not have a video to prove it if you’re running a good, clean classroom, you’re going by the book and you’re teaching the kids properly,” Beltran asked.

Broward School Board member Debbi Hixon, a former teacher, told NBC Miami she finds the bill offensive and potentially harmful during a time when schools are “hemorrhaging teachers.” She asked, “Why do we not value teachers?” Hixon also asked how schools are ever going to keep good teachers “when we just keep telling them that we don’t believe they’re professionals and that we need to keep watching over them.”