Laws for Homeschoolers
In the United States, millions of children are homeschooled. This number will reach over 12 million by 2015, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). Each state governs education and has its own own laws concerning homeschooling because the United States Constitution does not have specific laws concerning education. You will only have to learn the laws for your individual state if you’ve considered homeschooling.
Laws on homeschooling vary from state to state. Each state has a mandate to provide an education for its students; many states delegate that authority to the state’s Board of Education. It is ensured by the state Board of Education that every child receives an adequate education. The Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974, a Federal law, was passed because of this mandate. By law, no state can deny any child an education based on their race, color, sex, or national origin. In other words, within every state, every child is guaranteed an education.
While an education cannot be denied to a child in any state, whether it be a public school, private school, or homeschool, it is ultimately up to the parent to choose where that child will attend school. Some private schools, and public schools, are regulated by the state. There are often few regulations for homeschools since a large percentage of homeschool families do so for religious reasons.
One state law that appears to be universal is the requirement for children to attend school in some fashion during set compulsory ages. However, in each state, these ages may be different. Depending on the states laws; some states require children to be in school from 7 to 16, others 5 to 17. To determine what your state’s compulsory ages are you can contact HSLDA, or search the internet.
Homeschool laws for each state can be found at the Home School Legal Defense Association, National Home Education Network, and other websites on the Internet. Learning your state’s laws would be advantageous if you choose to homeschool. After you have begun to homeschool, especially if you are a military family moving to another state, you can go back to these sites to find the laws for the new state.
Military families, throughout the length of a soldier’s career, often move several times. One way to guarantee continuity in their children’s education is choosing to homeschool. Without fear of negative impact, a military family that homeschools can continue their child’s education rather than transferring a child from one school to another.
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