Email of the Day:
I went to access [ancillary service] at Public School, and the coordinator told me that Kidlet would have to be enrolled in order to access the ancillary services.
Answer:
If she meant that you need to file enrollment paperwork, that is correct: you will need to do some enrollment paperwork to access ancillary services. The school needs this information for their paperwork so they can get paid for providing the services. But Kidlet does not need to take any classes in order to access these services.
If she meant that you need to attend classes on a part or full time basis in order to access the services you’ve requested, she’s wrong.
In that case, you may need to remind the coordinator of RCW 28A.150.350(1)(d) “Part time student” shall mean and include: Any student enrolled in a course of instruction in a private school and taking courses at and/or receiving ancillary services offered by any public school not available in such private school; or any student who is not enrolled in a private school and is receiving home-based instruction under RCW 28A.225.010 which instruction includes taking courses at OR receiving ancillary services from the local school district or both; or any student involved in any work training program and taking courses in any public school, which work training program is approved by the school board of the district in which such school is located.”
The law clearly (over and over) does NOT require attendance in a course or courses to access ancillary services.
You may need to remind the coordinator (and her boss) of WAC 392-134-010: “An eligible part-time public school student shall be entitled to take any course, receive any ancillary service, and take or receive any combination of courses and ancillary services which is made available by a public school to full-time students.”
You may also need to remind her of WAC 392-134-020(1): Courses, ancillary services, and any combination of courses and ancillary services shall be provided to part-time public school students at the same level and quality as provided by the public school to full-time students.”
And, finally, you may need to impress upon her that WAC 392-134-030 specifies that her school’s funding in contingent on their compliance with the the part time attendance/ ancillary services law.
If you need me to escalate this with the coordinator and her boss (and the superintendent), let me know, but I feel confident that you can present her with the law, and she’ll realize that she made a mistake, and correct the error. This happens from time to time, as lower level administration in schools don’t often have need to understand and follow homeschool law, and therefore they do not.
Warmly,
~Jen