Homeschoolers Refusing to Comply Beyond the Law

Know the Law and Follow It

As homeschoolers, should we follow the law? Absolutely. If you are unsure about the laws for homeschoolers in your state, a great starting place is to find the website for your state-wide homeschool group (Note that “State Homeschool Group” is referring to the location of the state, not to the government). You can also click on your state on HSLDA’s map to find out the homeschooling laws in your state.

Info Requested by Your County or State

Now that we have that settled and none of us are going to be penalized, fined, or put in jail :), let’s talk about those letters and forms that the school district may send out periodically to some of us. They may ask things like if you have a college degree, what the exact dates are that you will be in school, if your child has learning disabilities, or what specific topics will be covered in each subject. They may request that you fill out a form about your family or educational choices. If this info is not required by law, don’t answer. Don’t disclose any information beyond what you are required by law to disclose. And I’ll tell you why…

Changed Perspective

At first, you may be thinking, “If I am obliging, courteous, and give them the info they want, then they will see that homeschoolers are responsible, honest, educated people who aren’t the enemy.” That’s a nice thought, and some secretary in some office may have that thought as they file away your personal info in the cabinet. But what you are saying more loudly is, “I am happy to give you the data you need to attack homeschooling in the courtroom, and I want the system to feel like it has the right to dig into my choices and my rights as much as they like.” Doesn’t sound so good anymore, right? This sounds extreme, but the more they can get, the more they will want, and that can seriously and negatively affect other homeschool families and laws in your school district, state, or even nation-wide.

A Real Life Example

One year my family received a letter and a form in the mail from our school district which stated, “I have received your letter of intent to homeschool for the school year. I do need you to complete and return the demographic information sheet enclosed.”

I emailed our state homeschool group, and received this response:

Thank you so much for thinking of the impact to other homeschoolers! Personally, I would ignore the request. You are not required to complete any further county forms. If you are contacted further, then I would respond in writing that you have complied with the law. I am not aware that your county has been a problem in the past, but unfortunately, that could be because others before you have complied with their request… Even though you are completely correct in your actions, that may not preclude the county from trying to cause a problem and try to bully you into complying.

So How Can We Respond?

The next time the government or the school district requests info beyond the law, consider not answering at all. At the most, you could reply, “I have already complied with the law, so I respectfully choose not to respond.” You have the right to protect your choices and your family. You are a responsible, law-abiding citizen, and just because someone asks, doesn’t mean you have to answer.

If or when this happens to you, immediately notify your state homeschool group to let them know what’s going on. They may be able to alert others in your local area or state-wide, as the situation may require, and to step in when the state or school system is crossing the line. To learn more about the legal battle to protect our homeschooling rights and how you can take action to be individually defended, visit www.HSLDA.com or look up other organizations who are working hard to defend every parent’s right to educate their children.