Tap any paragraph to write a margin note. Your notes collect in the Desk below the text and file under cases with @. The side-by-side margin rail opens on a larger screen.

Code · Iowa · Chapter 299A — Private Instruction

299A.1 Competent private instruction and independent private instruction.

389 words·~2 min read·/ia/chapter-299a-private-instruction/299a-1

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

1. The parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a child of compulsory attendance age may place the child under competent private instruction or independent private instruction in accordance with this chapter. A parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a child of compulsory attendance age who places the child under private instruction that is not in compliance with this chapter, or who otherwise fails to comply with the requirements of this chapter, is subject to the provisions of sections 299.1 through 299.4 and the penalties provided in section 299.6.
2. For purposes of this chapter and chapter 299:
a. “Competent private instruction” means either of the following:
(1)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 section 299A.2, which results in the student making adequate progress.
(2)Private instruction provided by a parent, guardian, or legal custodian under section 299A.3.
b. “Independent private instruction” means private instruction that meets the following criteria:
(1)Is not accredited.
(2)Enrolls not more than four unrelated students.
(3)Does not charge tuition, fees, or other remuneration for instruction.
(4)Provides private or religious-based instruction as its primary purpose.
(5)Provides enrolled students with instruction in mathematics, reading and language arts, science, and social studies.
(6)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 names of the students enrolled.
(7)Is not a nonpublic school and does not provide competent private instruction as defined in this subsection.
(8)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 chapter 299 and this chapter.
c. “Private instruction” means instruction using a plan and a course of study in a setting other than a public or organized accredited nonpublic school.
91 Acts, ch 200, §20; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §87, 97; 2021 Acts, ch 88, §3 – 5
Referred to in §299.11, 321.178, 321.194, 422.12
★   the supreme law of the land   ★
Don't Tread on Me
E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one

"If you don't know your rights, you don't have any."

Marginalia · a citizen's law index
A research desk, not legal advice. Always read the cited source before relying on a summary.
Questions or an issue? support@self-law.org
disclaimerMarginalia is a research index, not a law firm. Nothing on this site is legal, tax, or financial advice and no attorney–client relationship is formed by using it. Statutes, regulations, and case law change; summaries, search results, AI output, and member posts may be incomplete, out of date, or wrong. Any interpretation drawn from material on this site should be validated by a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before you act on it.