For Preventing Abuse, Public Schools Are Not a Good Model for Homeschooling

An article in the Des Moines Register calls for an end to the private homeschooling option, stating: "Licensed educators are mandatory reporters of child abuse, are held to high standards for preparation and professional conduct, must be fingerprinted, and undergo background checks. Yet Iowa allows anyone to 'teach' their own and up to four unrelated children."

But in March 2017, the Des Moines Register reported on a case of a long-time Iowa public high school teacher charged with a sex crime against a student. In September, the 61-year-old teacher was sentenced to prison for repeated sexual assault. He had been a licensed Iowa school teacher since 1978.