Does Iowa law offer any protection to a school employee who meets one of the exceptions above?
Yes.
The statute gives immunity to any employee who, in the reasonable course of his/her employment responsibilities, comes into physical contact with a student if the contact is reasonable and involves one of the activities described in the prior Q & A. This immunity is granted from both civil and criminal liability. Iowa Code section 280.21.
See also chapter 670 of the Iowa Code, which gives school district employees protection from civil tort claims made against the employee when the employee is acting in the performance of an employment duty and is not acting with malice or in a willful, wanton, or reckless manner.