Homeschool Iowa Advocacy Efforts Deliver

Homeschool Iowa advocacy efforts deliver again, giving Iowa homeschooling families a big win with the signing of HF 2754 into law by Governor Kim Reynolds on May 12th. This 2026 Iowa homeschool law change championed by Homeschool Iowa contains four provisions that expand and protect homeschool freedom in Iowa.

The victory resulted from Homeschool Iowa Advocacy efforts in the House, in the Senate, and with the Governor’s office. And, at every step, Iowa homeschooling families had advocates in the right places at the right times.

Rep. Bill Gustoff, our former Homeschool Iowa lobbyist and now a state legislator, authored the homeschool amendment to HF 2754.

Rep. Dan Gehlbach managed the bill on the floor. Rep. Samantha Fett spoke in support. The amendment was adopted, the bill passed on a vote of 54-34, and it headed to the Senate.

Before the Senate even addressed the bill, Homeschool Iowa worked directly with Jane DuFoe, the Governor’s education policy advisor, walking through each provision line by line.

That groundwork mattered. The Governor’s support for the homeschool provisions was confirmed before the Senate floor debate.

Sen. Jesse Green served as floor manager for the bill and was ready for the effort.

When Sen. Quirmbach offered an amendment to strip the homeschool language entirely, Green and his colleagues held firm. That amendment failed 30-16. Five additional Democrat-sponsored amendments, each aimed at weakening the bill, also failed, all on the same 30-16 vote.

The Senate then passed HF 2754, 29-17. The homeschool provisions survived every attempt to remove them, and the bill was sent to the Governor for her signature.

  Teaming with House champions who understand the issues.
  Engaging with the Governor’s office ahead of any potential opposition and challenges.
  Partnering with a Senate floor manager who is prepared to defend the provisions when the opposition shows up.

None of this happens by accident.

Without the efforts of Homeschool Iowa and the incredibly effective legislators who advocated on our behalf, we would not now be celebrating this win for Iowa homeschooling families.

The four-unrelated-student cap on Independent Private Instruction is gone. So is the prohibition on receiving payment for instruction. Cottage schools, micro-schools, and parent-led learning communities can now operate under IPI without triggering public school oversight. This is the most significant structural change to IPI since the option was created in 2013.

Homeschool diplomas now have explicit legal standing in Iowa law. Diplomas, transcripts, and credentials earned through CPI or IPI will be legally sufficient proof of high school completion. State agencies, community colleges, and Regents institutions cannot discriminate based on diploma source. The provision is retroactive, so graduates who already hold CPI or IPI credentials benefit immediately.

Parents now have explicit statutory authority to execute any document required to verify their child’s placement under CPI or IPI, full-time or part-time status, grades, or other required educational information. Where families previously had to navigate ambiguity about who could sign verification documents, the law now makes it clear.

First-time CPI Form A filers are now no longer required to include immunization records and blood lead test documentation. In addition, the CPI Form A filing now requires an outline of the course of study or a list of texts that will be used, not both. Both of these changes reduce paperwork burden that had no corresponding benefit for families and no connection to educational outcomes.

These four provisions share a common thread. They move authority away from government and toward families.

Homeschool Iowa’s conviction is that parents have a God-given right and responsibility to educate their children—a right that exists prior to government, not because government allows it.

For too long, Iowa law contained provisions that treated homeschooling as something families must limit or justify. Examples include the cap on how many children could learn together, silence on whether homeschool credentials were legally recognized, and bureaucratic barriers families had to navigate just to verify what they already knew about their own children.

That changes now. This is what it looks like when the Iowa Legislature eliminates barriers rather than building new ones. Government is limited to its proper role, and parental authority is restored and protected.

This victory didn’t materialize on its own. It required a lobbyist who spent months building relationships, assisting with bill drafting, walking through provisions with the Governor’s staff, and coordinating with House and Senate allies before the floor votes. It called for showing up at committee hearings, tracking every bill that could touch Iowa Code Chapter 299A, and being ready when the opposition tried to strip our proposed language.

Homeschool Iowa is not a huge organization with an expansive staff. We are mostly volunteers, but our part-time lobbyist is primarily funded by supportive Homeschool Iowa members.

Your membership
is what makes these advocacy efforts possible.

Highlights of what Homeschool Iowa advocacy efforts delivered, just in the last three years, include:

  2024 - Achieved equitable driving privileges for homeschooled students 14-18
  2025 - Mobilized families against expanded government oversight proposals
  2026 - Gained four new homeschool protections now written into Iowa law

The next Iowa Legislative Session begins in January of 2027.

Threats to homeschool freedom are a permanent reality. Homeschool Iowa will be at the Capitol again.

Homeschool Iowa Family Membership is only $50/year.
Your membership is what keeps Iowa homeschooling families free.

Jeremy Vos serves as our Homeschool Iowa Lobbyist. His tireless efforts were crucial to the passage of HF 2754, with our homeschool-friendly amendment retained.

If you have questions about the homeschool provisions gained in the passage of HF 2754, please reach out to Jeremy via our website Contact Us form.