Special Needs “Approval” Problems
    Iowa is one of a very few states that requires home schooling families to leap extra hurdles if their children have special needs. Under Iowa law, any child who has been identified as having special needs must be “approved” by the special needs director for the local Area Education Agency (AEA). While Home School Legal Defense Association has managed to keep all such cases involving our members out of court, there have been quite a few examples of special education directors refusing to grant approval easily.
    One family is currently seeking approval to home school a deaf child. After the family submitted their home education plan, the AEA director called to say that it was the best he had ever seen. Despite that, he insisted that before he could “approve” the family, they must either dual enroll the child or agree to have someone from the school district come to their home to check up on them periodically. Naturally, HSLDA intervened to protect this family’s right to home school without “spot checks” by school officials. This situation has not yet been resolved, so please pray for this family and others educating special needs children at home.