Driver's ed bill for home schoolers advances in Iowa House

Home-schooling parents can serve as driving instructors for their children under legislation that passed out of the Iowa House on a largely party-line vote Wednesday.

Republicans voted down all but one of nine amendments that Democrats tried to attach to the legislation, ranging from requiring parents to install additional mirrors and braking equipment in their vehicles to requiring that someone other than the parent drives with the student for at least half of the road hours.

“Nobody questions the ability of a home-school teacher to teach their child,” said Rep. Nate Willems, D-Lisbon. “But this is just not an education issue. This is a public safety issue, this is a transportation issue.”

Proponents of the measure said most students learn to drive from their parents anyway, and parents have more of an interest than driving coaches do in making sure their children learn to drive the correct way.

They also pointed out that the home-school driving course curriculum has to be approved by the Iowa Department of Motor Vehicles.

The bill also includes requirements that a student must have:

30 hours of classroom instruction.

40 hours of street or highway driving, including four hours after sunset and before sunrise.

Instruction concerning substance abuse (four hours), railroad crossing safety (20 minutes), becoming an organ donor and sharing the road with motorcycles and bicycles.

The one amendment that was approved came from Rep. Curtis Hanson, D-Fairfield, a retired driver's education teacher.

That amendment added a requirement that a home-school driving instructor could not be a habitual violator and teach a course. A habitual violator is someone who receives three or more moving violations in a 12-month span.

It is the same standard that public or private driving instructor has to meet.

The legislation now moves to the Senate.