Iowa parents who homeschool their children would be allowed to teach other people's children and charge tuition under a bill advancing in the Iowa House.
The bill, House File 88, would make a range of other changes to homeschool requirements and other education law in Iowa, including:
A three-member House subcommittee voted 2-1 Monday to advance the bill, sending it to the House Education Committee for consideration. Reps. Samantha Fett, R-Carlisle, and Dan Gehlbach, R-Urbandale, were in favor and Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, was opposed.
"This bill allows good parents to be freer than they already are," Fett said. "So we will be moving forward with this bill."
Matson said "people can choose to homeschool their kids" but added that the state has an obligation "to make sure everyone is taken care of in some way."
"The right to homeschool doesn’t mean the right to bigger tax credits or a reversal on public health or to charge tuition to other families without having to prove that you’re qualified in every single subject to teach those unrelated children," she said.
The bill, House File 88, would make a range of other changes to homeschool requirements and other education law in Iowa, including:
- Exempting homeschooled children from disclosing their vaccination status or whether they've been tested for lead;
- Doubling Iowa's tuition and textbook tax credit;
- Banning teachers from teaching students gender-neutral forms of world languages; and
- Removing the requirement that homeschooled elementary school students be taught science and social studies. Those subjects would still be required for older students.
A three-member House subcommittee voted 2-1 Monday to advance the bill, sending it to the House Education Committee for consideration. Reps. Samantha Fett, R-Carlisle, and Dan Gehlbach, R-Urbandale, were in favor and Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, was opposed.
"This bill allows good parents to be freer than they already are," Fett said. "So we will be moving forward with this bill."
Matson said "people can choose to homeschool their kids" but added that the state has an obligation "to make sure everyone is taken care of in some way."
"The right to homeschool doesn’t mean the right to bigger tax credits or a reversal on public health or to charge tuition to other families without having to prove that you’re qualified in every single subject to teach those unrelated children," she said.
Iowa lawmakers look to loosen homeschool rules, allow parents to charge tuition
Iowa parents who homeschool children would be allowed to teach other people's kids and charge tuition for their homeschooling under a House bill.
www.press-citizen.com
