Home schooling bill puts kids at risk

In the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams,” the most iconic scene was when a ghost player asks, “Is this Heaven?” Ray answers, “No, it’s Iowa.”

More than three decades later, even those with rose colored glasses wouldn’t mistake Iowa for Heaven.

Once, both political parties valued protecting children. But it died. It’s buried next to “Iowa nice.”

In 2023, Republican legislators loosened Iowa’s child labor laws allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work more hours. They also relaxed rules on 16- and 17-year-olds working hazardous jobs.

Last year, federal investigators discovered 11 children working overnight at a pork processing plant in Sioux City. Currently, there’s a move to lower fines for businesses that violate Iowa’s child labor laws.

House File 88, the homeschooling bill, gives new meaning to recklessness.

Iowa already takes a laissez faire approach to homeschooling. The Department of Education doesn’t collect data on the number of home-school students. Instead of receiving assistance, home-school parents may choose Independent Private Instruction with few reporting requirements and fewer course requirements.

But House File 88 sailed through the Education Committee. Here’s what’s in it.

It exempts homeschooling parents from disclosing their children’s vaccination status or whether they have been tested for lead.

It removes the requirement that home-schooled elementary students be taught science or social studies.

It strikes the language saying homeschooling providers will not charge tuition. And it strikes an Iowa law stating home-school instructors may provide instruction to no more than four unrelated students.

Rep. Samantha Fett said, “The bill allows good parents to be freer than they already are.”

But what about homeschooling parents who aren’t good parents? Not having careful oversight leads to kids like Natalie Finn, an Iowa home-school student in 2016 who fell through the cracks in the system and died from malnutrition and abuse.

House File 88 widens those cracks.

Home schooling may be a viable option for a limited number of families. Most parents, however, remember the days of forced homeschooling during the Pandemic and don’t want to relive kitchen table battles over math problems.

I’m puzzled why the bill allows parents to skip teaching science and social studies to elementary students. Don’t we want young students to understand simple civics, and at least a little simple history?

Also, science often excites and intrigues elementary-aged kids. It takes away the joy of discovery.

Home-schooled kids frequently participate in extracurricular activities with their peers in public school. Not requiring them to be vaccinated puts kids and teachers at risk.

Allowing homeschooling parents to charge tuition and teach an unlimited number of unrelated children opens the door for home-schoolers to qualify for private school vouchers. That could balloon the $340 million voucher price tag price.

Iowa needs to protect all children. If we don’t, we’ll sacrifice our future.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City, taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until he retired. BruceLear2419@gmail.com