IOWA
Supervisors Try to Squirm Out of Legal Duties
Iowa is one of the few states that clearly allows home schoolers to take driver's education at the local public school. But as many home schoolers have discovered, even laws providing clear and explicit rights to home schoolers do not guarantee that public schools will respect those rights.
Recently, a Home School Legal Defense Association member family in Iowa contacted their school district to request a spot for their child on the next semester's driver's education class. Initially, the district indicated that this would not be a problem. A short time later, however, the superintendent wrote the family to say that there was no space available for the home schooled child, and that she would have to wait until the next fall.
Home School Legal Defense Association attorney Scott Somerville called the superintendent to find out why the girl was being denied driver's education. The superintendent claimed that the family was not dual enrolled, and therefore he could not offer them a spot in the driver's education class. Scott Somerville then called the State Department of Education, where Dr. Erie Erickson—who deals with both home schooling and driver's education issues—assured him that the Department completely sides with the home schoolers on this issue. Dr. Erickson went on to say that the Department is writing up new rules that would prohibit school districts from charging home schoolers more for driver's education classes than they charge their own students.
When Attorney Somerville called the school district back, the superintendent was less than pleased. "My school board doesn't really like home schoolers," he said. "What will they say when they find out I'm giving them driver's ed?" Attorney Somerville suggested that he simply tell them he's complying with Iowa law. He then hung up and called the family to inform them that they could plan on their daughter being in the January driver's ed class. A few days later HSLDA heard from the family again. They just wanted to let us know that the school had somehow "found" an extra space in the driver's ed class for their daughter!
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