The Danger of Back to School

Today in You Are Not Alone™ :

You’re lurking here because you’re dreading tomorrow morning, when you have to wake your kidlet up and drag h** to school. Your kidlet is having headaches and stomach aches; *he’s crying, lethargic, anxious, or screaming.
You’re here because you plan not to send h** back to school in the fall because of what’s going on right now, and you’re terrified that *he’s not going to make it to the last day of school.

The Danger of Back to School

You are not alone.

If you want to leave now, you can. Unless your kidlet is in highschool AND you have intentions of going back (and thus don’t want to lose the credits *he’s nearly finished), you can walk away tomorrow. And even if your kidlet IS in highschool, if you want to walk away for good (or if you plan to go back and at this point the credit just isn’t worth it), you can to it tomorrow.

If your child is already in school, then you need to formally withdraw h**. The school usually has a form for this, but you could write a letter that says roughly this: I [Name of Parent] hereby formally withdraw [Name of Student(s)] from [Name of School], effective [Date of Withdraw]. Then sign it and date it.

If your child is >8yo, you will need to file a Declaration of Intent that same day in the superintendent’s office. If the child is <8yo, you wait until h** 8th birthday to submit the Declaration of Intent. Many school officials erroneously believe that if the child was in school before, even if *he is 5, 6, or 7, that you must file a Declaration of Intent. This is a common misconception that is contrary to the compulsory attendance law. You may withdraw a child from public school at any point in the school year. Talk it over with your kidlet tonight. Ask h** how *he'd like to make the exit, and, if the answer is "immediate," turn off your alarm and let h** sleep in while you write the letter of withdraw and fill out your http://washhomeschool.org/homeschooling/Declaration.pdf (DofI). You can post or deliver them tomorrow and be done with school. There is no one in the world who loves your kidlet more than you do. You can do this. We'll help and encourage you. Happy Mother's Day. Warmly, ~ Jen Garrison Stuber​, WHO Board Advocacy Chair