The Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." - Thomas Jefferson
The Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators is not a lobbying group. We will make every attempt to follow legislation and keep you informed about those issues specific homeschooling. If you would like to be on our email alert list, please send us your name and email address. We will be sure to add you to our list. When an alert is sent, you will be instructed on how best to respond. We ask that you do so promptly. We promise to never overuse this option.
Know Your Legislator!
You are about to reference the laws and rules that govern home education in Iowa. When you do this please remember the freedom to home educate your children is a right that government often seeks to restrict .
Homeschooling families must remain diligently involved in local, state, and national government. You need to know who your elected officials are and how they vote on issues involving parental rights. It is important to know not only who your Iowa legislators are, but also your local school board members. Local school boards make decisions that affect all the students in the district. Make sure they know that you are there and you care about their policies.
If you do not know who your Iowa legislator is, you can find out today by visiting the Iowa Legislative Web Site. This is an excellent way to not only locate your legislators and know what they look like, but you can also find out what types of bills they introduced and support, where they live, their email address, and other useful information about them and our laws and government in Iowa. When you get to the website, go to "Legislators" and click on "Find Your Legislator".
When you know who he or she is, call or write to them. Try to visit them during the legislative session and think about inviting them to your next gathering in your area. Above all, let them know that you are praying for them. If your children are respectful and well behaved, bring them with you for the visit. This will be such a benefit to home educators. When your legislator is faced with an issue involving home education, they can put a face to the legislation. This may be the key to keeping more restrictive legislation from being passed.
Know the Laws and Rules of Iowa Home Education!
As a parent one of your first homeschooling assignments should be to read and understand the law and rules governing home education in the Iowa. Throughout your homeschooling years, you may be faced with district policies that may hamper your freedom to teach your children. Knowing how home education operates in this state is important. You will not be asked to do more that what is required if you know your rights.
Chapter 299A of the Code of Iowa represents the language of the homeschooling law passed by the Iowa legislature in 1991. Think of it as the "skeleton" to which the Department of Education, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature added the rules known as Chapter 31 of the Iowa Administrative Code. We advise keeping a copy of both these documents handy. In addition, NICHE has put together a Summary of the homeschool requirements. All of these documents will help you to understand home education in Iowa. For your convenience, you can procure a copy here.