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Homeschooling Laws
by: Tuscan Brittney
Many parents, for many different reasons, make the resolution to homeschool their children. Homeschooling
allows for a particular educational experience designed to suit your child's specific requirements, and in many
cases goes above and beyond what can be achieved in a community or private school system. If you make the
decision to homeschool your young ones, it is important that you do so legally, and recognize the laws in your
area. It is absolutely critical that you do this, because if you fail to meet legal requirements when homeschooling
your children you will inadvertently rob your children of postsecondary scholastic opportunities.
Homeschooling laws vary from state to state, so you have to look up the particular laws in your own state. The
basis of state laws on homeschooling is the consequence of truancy laws that require children to attend school.
The essential idea is that these laws exist to determine a homeschooled child from a child that is merely not
going to school, which is of course against the law. Generally, states will demand that you submit a "notice of
intent" to homeschool your children before the upcoming academic year, and the state will then reply with the
suitable paperwork for you to fill out.
Besides familiarizing yourself with the specific laws of your state you should also consult with a homeschooling
organization for advice. In some cases parents will be dealing with school officials who want to discourage them
from homeschooling, and in these situations it is critical that you comprehend your rights. In the state of New
York, for example, parents are not required to meet with school officials. School officials may request a meeting
with the parents in order to discuss homeschooling, but the state may not revoke the right to homeschool if the
parents decline this meeting.
It is also required that your child take standardized tests. This is so the state can legally allocate your child to a
given grade level. The laws vary from state to state but in most cases you will have a certain amount of
elbow-room in non-standardized tests. New York allows for non-standard tests every alternate year between
grades 4 and 8, for example.
Although it may seem intimidating at first, homeschooling your children legally is fundamentally not that complex.
You just have to make sure that you follow every step, and don't leave out any paperwork. While some state
restrictions or rules may seem needless or cumbersome, in the long run you'll save yourself a ton of headaches
if you fill everything in properly and on time.
The best thing you can do when you begin to homeschool your children is to consult with other homeschooling
parents and advocacy groups. Looking up legal vernacular online can be confusing, but any homeschooling
group will give you solid, plain-English advice on how to properly and legally set up homeschooling for your
children. Remember: it's impossible to overestimate the value of studying your state laws in regards to
homeschooling - if you overlook or violate any of them, you could lose your right to homeschool altogether.
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