Private Instruction

Code No.: 606.2
PRIVATE INSTRUCTION
The Anamosa Community School District recognizes that families with students of compulsory
attendance age may select alternative forms of education outside the traditional school setting,
including private instruction. The applicable legal requirements for private instruction, including,
but not limited to those relating to reporting and evaluations for progress, shall be followed.
Except as otherwise exempted, in the event a child of compulsory attendance age as defined by law does
not attend public school or an accredited nonpublic school, the child must receive private instruction.
Private instruction means instruction using a plan and a course of study in a setting other than a public
or organized accredited nonpublic school.
Private instruction can take the form of competent private instruction and independent private
instruction. The Iowa Department of Education recognizes three options for delivery of this form of
instruction: two options for delivery of competent private instruction and one option for independent
private instruction.
Competent private instruction means private instruction provided on a daily basis for at least one
hundred forty-eight days during a school year, to be met by attendance for at least thirty-seven days
each school quarter, which results in the student making adequate progress. Competent private
instruction is provided by or under the supervision of a licensed practitioner or by other individuals
identified in law.
Independent private instruction means instruction that meets the following criteria: (i) is not accredited,
(ii) enrolls not more than four unrelated students, (iii) does not charge tuition, fees, or other
remuneration for instruction, (iv) provides private or religious-based instruction as its primary purpose,
(v) provides enrolled students with instruction in mathematics, reading and language arts, science, and
social studies, (vi) provides, upon written request from the superintendent of the school district in which
the independent private instruction is provided, or from the director of the department of education, a
report identifying the primary instructor, location, name of the authority responsible for the independent
private instruction, and the names of the students enrolled, (vii) is not a nonpublic school and does not
provide competent private instruction as defined herein, and (viii) is exempt from all state statutes and
administrative rules applicable to a school, a school board, or a school district, except as otherwise
provided by law.
It is the responsibility of the superintendent or designee to develop administrative regulations regarding
this policy.
For additional information, including applicable forms, please visit the “Options for Educational
Choice” section of the Iowa Department of Education’s website, located at
https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/options-educational-choice
Legal Reference: Iowa Code §§ 299, 299A.
281 I.A.C. 31.
Approved
Reviewed 11/15/99
Reviewed 2/16/04
Reviewed 1/5/09
Revised 3/7/16