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SF204 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.

A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.

Education Taxes
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
PIKE, GUTH, SALMON and CAMPBELL
Last action
2025-02-13
Official status
Subcommittee recommends passage.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.

A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-13 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends passage.

  2. 2025-02-12 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/13/2025 11:30AM Senate Lounge.

  3. 2025-02-10 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Pike, Quirmbach, and Salmon.

  4. 2025-02-04 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Education. S.J. 189 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate

File

204

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

204

BY

PIKE

,

GUTH

,

SALMON

,

and

CAMPBELL

(COMPANION

TO

HF

88

BY

GUSTOFF)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

education,

including

by

modifying

provisions

1

related

to

private

instruction,

world

language

instruction,

2

dual

enrollment,

and

the

tuition

and

textbook

tax

credit,

3

and

including

effective

date,

applicability,

and

retroactive

4

applicability

provisions.

5

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

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204

DIVISION

I

1

PRIVATE

INSTRUCTION

2

Section

1.

Section

299.4,

subsection

1,

Code

2025,

is

3

amended

to

read

as

follows:

4

1.

The

parent,

guardian,

or

legal

custodian

of

a

child

5

who

is

of

compulsory

attendance

age,

who

places

the

child

6

under

competent

private

instruction

under

section

299A.2

,

not

7

in

an

accredited

school

or

a

home

school

assistance

program

8

operated

by

a

school

district

or

accredited

nonpublic

school,

9

shall

furnish

a

report

in

duplicate

on

forms

provided

by

the

10

public

school

district,

to

the

district

by

September

1

of

the

11

school

year

in

which

the

child

will

be

under

competent

private

12

instruction.

The

secretary

shall

retain

and

file

one

copy

13

and

forward

the

other

copy

to

the

district’s

area

education

14

agency.

The

report

shall

state

the

name

and

age

of

the

child,

15

the

period

of

time

during

which

the

child

has

been

or

will

be

16

under

competent

private

instruction

for

the

year,

an

outline

17

of

the

course

of

study

,

or

texts

that

will

be

used,

and

the

18

name

and

address

of

the

instructor.

The

parent,

guardian,

or

19

legal

custodian

of

a

child,

who

is

placing

the

child

under

20

competent

private

instruction

for

the

first

time,

shall

also

21

provide

the

district

with

evidence

that

the

child

has

had

the

22

immunizations

required

under

section

139A.8

,

and,

if

the

child

23

is

elementary

school

age,

a

blood

lead

test

in

accordance

with

24

section

135.105D

.

The

term

“outline

of

course

of

study”

shall

25

include

subjects

covered,

lesson

plans,

and

time

spent

on

the

26

areas

of

study.

27

Sec.

2.

Section

299A.1,

subsection

2,

paragraph

b,

Code

28

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

29

b.

“Independent

private

instruction”

means

private

30

instruction

that

meets

the

following

criteria:

31

(1)

Is

not

accredited.

32

(2)

Enrolls

not

more

than

four

unrelated

students.

33

(3)

Does

not

charge

tuition,

fees,

or

other

remuneration

for

34

instruction.

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(4)

(2)

Provides

private

or

religious-based

instruction

as

1

its

primary

purpose.

2

(5)

(3)

Provides

enrolled

students

in

all

grade

levels

3

with

instruction

in

mathematics,

reading

,

and

language

arts

,

4

science,

and

social

studies

.

5

(4)

Provides

students

in

grades

six

through

twelve

with

6

instruction

in

science

and

social

studies.

7

(6)

(5)

Provides,

upon

written

request

from

the

8

superintendent

of

the

school

district

in

which

the

independent

9

private

instruction

is

provided,

or

from

the

director

of

the

10

department

of

education,

a

report

identifying

the

primary

11

instructor,

location,

name

of

the

authority

responsible

for

the

12

independent

private

instruction,

and

the

names

of

the

students

13

enrolled

receiving

the

instruction,

who

need

not

be

related

to

14

the

primary

instructor

.

15

(7)

(6)

Is

not

a

nonpublic

school

and

does

not

provide

16

competent

private

instruction

as

defined

in

this

subsection

.

17

(8)

(7)

Is

exempt

from

all

state

statutes

and

18

administrative

rules

applicable

to

a

school,

a

school

board,

or

19

a

school

district,

except

as

otherwise

provided

in

chapter

299

20

and

this

chapter

.

21

Sec.

3.

Section

299A.8,

subsection

1,

Code

2025,

is

amended

22

to

read

as

follows:

23

1.

If

a

parent,

guardian,

or

legal

custodian

of

a

school-age

24

child

who

is

receiving

competent

private

instruction

under

this

25

chapter

submits

a

request,

the

child

shall

also

be

registered

26

in

a

public

school

for

dual

enrollment

purposes.

If

the

child

27

is

enrolled

in

a

public

school

district

for

dual

enrollment

28

purposes,

the

child

shall

be

permitted

to

participate

in

any

29

academic

activities

in

the

district

and

shall

also

be

permitted

30

to

participate

on

the

same

basis

as

public

school

children

in

31

any

extracurricular

activities

available

to

children

in

the

32

child’s

grade

or

group.

Dual

enrollment

of

a

child

solely

33

for

purposes

of

accessing

the

annual

achievement

evaluation

34

shall

not

constitute

a

dual

enrollment

purpose.

A

child

who

is

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enrolled

in

a

public

school

for

dual

enrollment

purposes

may

1

receive

any

amount

of

instruction

by

way

of

the

public

school’s

2

academic

programs,

including

offerings

pursuant

to

chapter

3

261E.

4

Sec.

4.

NEW

SECTION

.

299A.13

Diplomas

and

credentials.

5

1.

A

diploma

or

credential

issued

by

a

person

who

6

administers

a

program

of

secondary

education

under

competent

7

private

instruction

or

independent

private

instruction

pursuant

8

to

this

chapter

shall

be

deemed

sufficient

to

demonstrate

for

9

all

purposes

that

the

recipient

has

completed

the

program

of

10

secondary

education

and

has

attained

the

equivalent

of

a

high

11

school

diploma.

12

2.

The

state,

a

political

subdivision

of

the

state,

a

13

community

college,

an

institution

of

higher

education

under

14

the

control

of

the

state

board

of

regents,

or

an

accredited

15

private

institution

as

defined

in

section

256.183,

shall

not

16

discriminate

against

any

individual

based

on

the

source

of

the

17

individual’s

diploma

or

credential

and

shall

treat

a

diploma

18

or

credential

awarded

for

completion

of

a

program

of

secondary

19

education

under

competent

private

instruction

or

independent

20

private

instruction

the

same

as

a

high

school

diploma

awarded

21

by

a

school

district

or

accredited

nonpublic

school.

22

Sec.

5.

NEW

SECTION

.

299A.14

Verification

of

enrollment.

23

The

parent,

guardian,

or

legal

custodian

of

a

child

of

24

compulsory

attendance

age

shall

have

the

authority

to

execute

25

any

document

required

by

law

to

verify

any

of

the

following:

26

1.

The

placement

of

a

child

under

competent

private

27

instruction

or

independent

private

instruction.

28

2.

The

child’s

full-time

or

part-time

status

in

competent

29

private

instruction

or

independent

private

instruction.

30

3.

The

grades

the

child

has

obtained

in

competent

private

31

instruction

or

independent

private

instruction.

32

4.

Any

other

required

educational

information.

33

Sec.

6.

EFFECTIVE

DATE.

The

following,

being

deemed

of

34

immediate

importance,

take

effect

upon

enactment:

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1.

The

section

of

this

division

of

this

Act

enacting

section

1

299A.13.

2

2.

The

section

of

this

division

of

this

Act

enacting

section

3

299A.14.

4

Sec.

7.

APPLICABILITY.

The

following

applies

to

any

5

diplomas

or

credentials

issued

before,

on,

or

after

the

6

effective

date

of

this

division

of

this

Act:

7

The

section

of

this

division

of

this

Act

enacting

section

8

299A.13.

9

DIVISION

II

10

WORLD

LANGUAGE

INSTRUCTION

11

Sec.

8.

Section

256.11,

subsection

5,

paragraph

f,

Code

12

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

13

f.

Two

sequential

units

of

one

world

language,

which

14

may

include

American

sign

language.

The

world

language

15

instruction

shall

not

alter

the

world

language

to

incorporate

16

gender-neutral

language

if

the

world

language

being

offered

and

17

taught

utilizes

a

grammatical

gender

system.

18

Sec.

9.

Section

256E.7,

subsection

2,

paragraph

g,

Code

19

2025,

is

amended

by

adding

the

following

new

subparagraph:

20

NEW

SUBPARAGRAPH

.

(3)

The

educational

standards

21

established

in

section

256.11,

subsection

5,

paragraph

“f”

,

22

related

to

the

prohibition

against

incorporating

gender-neutral

23

language

into

world

language

instruction

if

the

world

language

24

being

taught

utilizes

a

grammatical

gender

system.

25

Sec.

10.

Section

256F.4,

subsection

2,

Code

2025,

is

amended

26

by

adding

the

following

new

paragraph:

27

NEW

PARAGRAPH

.

r.

Be

subject

to

and

comply

with

the

28

requirements

of

section

256.11,

subsection

5,

paragraph

29

“f”

,

relating

to

the

prohibition

against

incorporating

30

gender-neutral

language

into

world

language

instruction

if

31

the

world

language

being

taught

utilizes

a

grammatical

gender

32

system

in

the

same

manner

as

a

school

district.

33

DIVISION

III

34

TUITION

AND

TEXTBOOK

TAX

CREDIT

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Sec.

11.

Section

422.12,

subsection

2,

paragraph

b,

Code

1

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

b.

A

tuition

credit

equal

to

twenty-five

fifty

percent

3

of

the

first

two

thousand

dollars

which

the

taxpayer

has

4

paid

to

others

for

each

dependent

in

grades

kindergarten

5

through

twelve,

for

tuition

and

textbooks

of

each

dependent

6

who

is

receiving

private

instruction

or

who

is

attending

an

7

elementary

or

secondary

school

situated

in

Iowa,

which

school

8

is

accredited

or

approved

under

section

256.11

,

which

is

not

9

operated

for

profit,

and

which

adheres

to

the

provisions

10

of

the

federal

Civil

Rights

Act

of

1964

and

chapter

216

.

11

Notwithstanding

any

other

provision,

all

other

credits

allowed

12

under

this

subsection

shall

be

deducted

before

the

tuition

13

credit

under

this

paragraph.

The

department,

when

conducting

14

an

audit

of

a

taxpayer’s

return,

shall

also

audit

the

tuition

15

tax

credit

portion

of

the

tax

return.

16

Sec.

12.

RETROACTIVE

APPLICABILITY.

This

division

of

this

17

Act

applies

retroactively

to

January

1,

2025,

for

tax

years

18

beginning

on

or

after

that

date.

19

EXPLANATION

20

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

21

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

22

This

bill

relates

to

education,

including

by

modifying

23

provisions

related

to

private

instruction,

world

language

24

instruction,

dual

enrollment,

and

the

tuition

and

textbook

tax

25

credit.

26

DIVISION

I

——

PRIVATE

INSTRUCTION.

Current

law

authorizes

27

the

parent,

guardian,

or

legal

custodian

of

a

child

of

28

compulsory

attendance

age

to

place

the

child

under

competent

29

private

instruction

or

independent

private

instruction.

30

Current

law

requires

a

child’s

parent,

guardian,

or

legal

31

custodian

who

is

placing

the

child

under

competent

private

32

instruction

for

the

first

time

to

provide

the

child’s

school

33

district

of

residence

with

evidence

that

the

child

has

had

the

34

immunizations

required

under

Code

section

139A.8

(immunization

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of

children),

and,

if

the

child

is

elementary

school

age,

a

1

blood

lead

test.

The

bill

strikes

this

requirement.

2

Current

law

requires

a

child’s

parent,

guardian,

or

legal

3

custodian

who

places

the

child

under

competent

private

4

instruction

to

furnish

a

report

to

the

school

district

of

5

residence

by

September

1

of

the

school

year

in

which

the

child

6

will

be

under

competent

private

instruction

that

includes

an

7

outline

of

course

of

study,

among

other

requirements.

An

8

outline

of

course

of

study

must

include

subjects

covered,

9

lesson

plans,

and

time

spent

on

the

areas

of

study.

The

10

bill

requires

this

report

to

state

the

name

and

age

of

the

11

child,

the

period

of

time

during

which

the

child

will

be

under

12

competent

private

instruction

for

the

year,

an

outline

of

the

13

course

of

study

or

texts

that

will

be

used,

and

the

name

and

14

address

of

the

instructor.

The

bill

strikes

the

definition

of

15

“outline

of

course

of

study”.

16

Current

law

provides

that

independent

private

instruction

17

is

private

instruction

that,

among

other

criteria,

enrolls

not

18

more

than

four

unrelated

students

and

does

not

charge

tuition

19

or

fees

for

instruction.

The

bill

strikes

these

provisions.

20

The

bill

provides

that

independent

private

instruction

21

is

required

to

provide

students

in

all

grade

levels

with

22

instruction

in

mathematics,

reading,

and

language

arts,

and

23

is

required

to

provide

students

in

grades

6

through

12

with

24

instruction

in

science

and

social

studies.

The

bill

also

25

provides

that

the

students

receiving

independent

private

26

instruction

need

not

be

related

to

the

primary

instructor.

27

Pursuant

to

administrative

rule

adopted

by

the

department

of

28

education,

a

child

under

dual

enrollment

must

receive

at

least

29

one-quarter

of

the

child’s

instruction

by

way

of

competent

30

private

instruction

and

no

more

than

three-quarters

by

way

31

of

a

school

district’s

academic

programs.

The

bill

renders

32

the

department’s

administrative

rule

void

by

providing

that

a

33

child

who

is

enrolled

in

a

school

district

for

dual

enrollment

34

purposes

may

receive

any

amount

of

instruction

by

way

of

the

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school

district’s

academic

programs,

including

offerings

1

pursuant

to

Code

chapter

261E

(senior

year

plus

program).

2

The

bill

provides

that

a

diploma

or

credential

issued

by

3

a

person

who

administers

a

program

of

secondary

education

4

under

competent

private

instruction

or

independent

private

5

instruction

pursuant

to

Code

chapter

299A

(private

instruction)

6

shall

be

deemed

sufficient

to

demonstrate

that

the

recipient

7

has

completed

the

program

of

secondary

education

and

has

8

attained

the

equivalent

of

a

high

school

diploma.

This

9

provision

takes

effect

upon

enactment

and

applies

to

any

10

diplomas

or

credentials

issued

before,

on,

or

after

the

new

11

Code

section’s

effective

date.

12

The

bill

prohibits

the

state,

a

political

subdivision

of

the

13

state,

a

community

college,

institutions

of

higher

education

14

under

the

control

of

the

state

board

of

regents,

or

an

15

accredited

private

institution

from

discriminating

against

any

16

individual

based

on

the

source

of

the

individual’s

diploma

or

17

credential

and

shall

treat

a

diploma

or

credential

awarded

for

18

completion

of

a

program

of

secondary

education

under

competent

19

private

instruction

or

independent

private

instruction

the

20

same

as

a

high

school

diploma

awarded

by

a

school

district

or

21

accredited

nonpublic

school.

This

provision

takes

effect

upon

22

enactment

and

applies

to

any

diplomas

or

credentials

issued

23

before,

on,

or

after

the

new

Code

section’s

effective

date.

24

The

bill

provides

that

the

parent,

guardian,

or

legal

25

custodian

of

a

child

of

compulsory

attendance

age

shall

26

have

the

authority

to

execute

any

document

required

by

law

27

to

verify

the

placement

of

a

child

under

competent

private

28

instruction

or

independent

private

instruction,

the

child’s

29

full-time

or

part-time

status

in

competent

private

instruction

30

or

independent

private

instruction,

the

grades

the

child

has

31

obtained

in

competent

private

instruction

or

independent

32

private

instruction,

or

any

other

required

educational

33

information.

34

DIVISION

II

——

WORLD

LANGUAGE

INSTRUCTION.

The

bill

35

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204

modifies

provisions

related

to

world

language

instruction

in

1

grades

9

through

12

in

school

districts,

accredited

nonpublic

2

schools,

charter

schools,

and

innovation

zone

schools

by

3

prohibiting

the

incorporation

of

gender-neutral

language

when

4

the

world

language

being

taught

utilizes

a

grammatical

gender

5

system.

6

DIVISION

III

——

TUITION

AND

TEXTBOOK

TAX

CREDIT.

Current

law

7

establishes

a

tuition

credit

equal

to

25

percent

of

the

first

8

$2,000

which

the

taxpayer

has

paid

to

others

for

each

dependent

9

in

grades

kindergarten

through

12,

for

tuition

and

textbooks

10

of

each

dependent

who

is

receiving

private

instruction

or

who

11

is

attending

an

elementary

or

secondary

school

situated

in

12

Iowa,

which

school

is

accredited

or

approved

under

Code

section

13

256.11,

which

is

not

operated

for

profit,

and

which

adheres

14

to

the

provisions

of

the

federal

Civil

Rights

Act

of

1964

and

15

Code

chapter

216

(Iowa

civil

rights

Act

of

1965).

The

bill

16

increases

the

amount

of

this

tax

credit

to

50

percent

of

the

17

first

$2,000.

The

division

applies

retroactively

to

January

1,

18

2025,

for

tax

years

beginning

on

or

after

that

date.

19

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