Private Instruction [Home School]

Private Instruction [Homeschool]

Private instruction means instruction using a plan and a course of study in a setting other than a public or organized accredited nonpublic school.  Iowa Code section 299A.1 (2) (c).  It includes competent private instruction (by a licensed practitioner or a non-licensed person), independent private instruction, home school assistance programs, and non-accredited nonpublic schools.

Southeast Polk Homeschool Assistance Program

Private Instruction

Competent Private Instruction (CPI) is private instruction provided on a daily basis for at least one hundred forty-eight days during a school year, to be met by attendance for at least thirty-seven days each school quarter, by or under the supervision of a licensed practitioner in the manner provided under Iowa Code section 299A.2 and this chapter, or other person under Iowa Code section 299A.3 and this chapter, which results in the student making adequate progress. The CPI category includes home schooled children who are not enrolled in independent private instruction and those in non-accredited nonpublic “schools.”  281-IAC chapter 31.

Option 1:   Private Instruction under the supervision of a licensed practitioner

Under Option 1 a parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian simply completes the report of Competent Private Instruction (Form A- available from the district of residence) and returns it to the resident district by September 1 or within 14 days of commencing CPl.

NOTE: However, if a child has been identified as requiring special education programs or services,  prior written approval must be obtained from the special education director of the Area Education Agency (AEA) in which the child resides before the child may be home schooled or enrolled in a non-accredited nonpublic “school.”  This consent is not required if the parent, guardian,  legal, or actual custodian does not consent to initial evaluation or to re-evaluation of the child for receipt of special education services or programs.  Iowa Code sections 299.4, 299A.9; 281-IAC rules 31.5(1) (f), 31.10.

Option 2:  Private Instruction by a non-licensed person

Under Option 2 a parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian may meet, but is not required to meet, all of the following requirements:

  • Complete and send, in a timely manner the report required under Iowa Code section 299.4 and this rule to the school district of residence of the child.
  • Ensure that the child under the parent’s, guardian’s, or legal custodian’s instruction is evaluated annually to determine whether the child is making adequate progress as defined in Iowa Code section 299.a.6 and this chapter.
  • Ensure that the results of the child’s annual evaluation are reported to the school district of residence of the child and to the department of education by a date not later than June 30 of each year in which the child is under competent private instruction. This is known as the “private instruction exemption.”

A parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian who chooses Option 2 with no reporting under the private instruction exemption relinquishes the ability to dual enroll for academics, extracurricular activities, or special education services. Dual enrollment requires compliance with the reporting requirements of Iowa Code section 299.4 and the assessment requirements of 299A.4.   A parent who dual enrolls for academics, athletics, or special education services relinquishes the option to utilize the private instruction exemption and must complete Form A.

A parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian who chooses Option 2 and chooses not to report to the district may wish to provide the district notice of the decision to use the private instruction exemption.  Doing so will create a presumption that a child of compulsory attendance age is in compliance with the compulsory attendance requirements of Iowa Code Chapter 299.

NOTE, however, if a child has been identified as requiring special education programs or services, prior written approval must be obtained from the special education director of the Area Education Agency (AEA) in which the child resides before the child may be home schooled or enrolled in a non-accredited nonpublic “school.” This consent is not required if the parent, guardian, legal, or actual custodian does not consent to initial evaluation or to re-evaluation of the child for receipt of special education services or programs. Iowa Code sections 299.4, 299A .9;281-IAC rules 31.5(f),31.10.

Independent Private Instruction (IPI)

Independent Private Instruction (IPI) means instruction that meets the following criteria: Parents using the new Independent Private Instruction (IPI) option are not required to file a Form A.

    • Is not accredited
    • Enrolls not more than four unrelated students
    • Does not charge tuition, fees, or other remuneration for instruction
    • Provides private or religious-based instruction as its primary purpose
    • Provides enrolled students with instruction in mathematics, reading and language arts, science, and social studies
    • Provides, upon written request from the superintendent of the school district in which the independent private instruction is provided, or from the director of the department of education, a report identifying the primary instructor, location, name of the authority responsible for the independent private instruction, and the name of the students enrolled.
    • Is not a nonpublic school and does not provide competent private instruction as defined in Iowa Code section 299A.1 and these rules.
    • Is exempt from all state statutes and administrative rules applicable to a school, a school board, or a school district, except as otherwise provided in Iowa Code chapters 299 and 299A.

Helpful Links

If you have any questions in regards to this form, please contact Jo Ellen Latham Director of Curriculum and Instruction at joellen.latham@southeastpolk.org | (515) 957-3407, Ext. 1010 or  Brittany Kunz at brittany.kunz@southeastpolk.org | (515) 967-4294, Ext. 1011.