Most states require some form of declaration of intent to homeschool for the new school year.
It’s a new school year, which means that it’s time to file our Declaration of Intent to Homeschool form here. Do you know your state homeschool laws? If you don’t, it would be a good idea to read up on them. You don’t want to discover you didn’t follow the law by a visit from your local truancy officer– or worse yet– Children’s Services.
If you’re not sure where to find out what your state laws are, the Coalition for Responsible Home Education has information on those. You do not have to be a member to access their website. (I’m not.) For local information, hit up the Google machine and type in “(your state name) homeschool laws” or “(your state) state homeschool organization”. State-level homeschool organizations often have more detailed information on the ins and out of dealing with specific school districts or superintendents. This is especially important if there have been problems.
What we do matters!
By following the laws of your state, you are lending credibility to what you do and more importantly, to what all of us are doing. The stories of “under the radar” homeschoolers seem to abound in certain areas and can often make homeschooling come across as something wrong or undermining to the government. Following the existing laws helps to protect all of us.
If you don’t know how to file your Intent form, contact your state or local homeschool organization.
School districts each have different ways to doing things, and sometimes they don’t exactly follow the laws. If you’re homeschooling in Washington, I have more written about what you HAVE TO fill out on the DOI form. <– I will update this post if the current law changes.
The DOI form is a hoop to jump through– albeit an important one– so that your family can spend the rest of the school year enjoying learning together. Have you filed yours yet?
Dawn is retired 20-year homeschooling Momma and hospital CNA, currently working on her BA in Technical Communication. She lives in Eastern Washington with her husband, the youngest 2 of their 6 kids, 2 yappy pomeranians and an assortment of backyard chickens. She writes here as well as at DawnMariePerkins.com (her personal/geek blog).
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