Email of the Day:
Hello,
Our son is seven years old and has attended public school since he was 4 years old in the School Dist.
We have become concerned for our son’s safety and well-being and determined it is in his best interest to be withdrawn from public education at this time to pursue home-based instruction. We have obtained the Declaration of Intent to Provide Home-Based Instruction but we see that it indicates we have missed the deadline to turn the application in within the 2-week window of the school quarter. How do we address this? He is only 7 years old but he has been a student in public education until this point.
We would like to expedite this matter.
Answer:
You may withdraw today and walk away, educationally free. You can even do it before the end of the day, if you wish.
Two items:
1) You do NOT (and should not) file a Declaration of Intent at this time.
RCW 28A.225.015 (1) If a parent enrolls a child who is six or seven years of age in a public school, the child is required to attend and that parent has the responsibility to ensure the child attends for the full time that school is in session. An exception shall be made to this requirement for children whose parents formally remove them from enrollment if the child is less than eight years old.
and
RCW 28A.225.015(4) This section does not require a six or seven year old child to enroll in a public or private school or to receive home-based instruction. This section only applies to six or seven year old children whose parents enroll them full time in public school and do not formally remove them from enrollment as provided in subsection (1) of this section.
As you can see, as soon as you formally withdraw your <8yo child from school, *he reverts to being as educationally free as *he was before you enrolled h**. I suspect your school is telling you differently -- this is a common misconception on the part of school officials who are not very familiar with our homeschool law. It's generally done out of ignorance, not malice.
2) Even if your child were 8-18yo and subject to the compulsory attendance law, the law does not circumscribe the DofIs to the beginning of a school term. If this were the case, the law would be allowing schools to hold your child hostage for entire terms at a time. This is not the case. The law here is giving you, the parent, a buffer between the time you formally withdraw you 8-18yo and when you submit your Declaration of Intent. The law says you have UNTIL the beginning of the new term plus two weeks to file your Declaration. We suggest, for students 8-18, that the parent withdraw and submit the DofI on the same day, but the law gives you until the beginning of the new term.
I've included a piece below that goes into more details about how to get started. Let me know as you have further questions, and welcome to being educationally free!
Warmly,
~Jen Garrison Stuber, WHO Board Advocacy Chair
Getting Started Homeschooling
prepared by Jen Garrison Stuber, WHO Board Advocacy Chair
The first thing to understand is that compulsory attendance in WA is from ages 8-18. Children under the age of 8 are not required to attend school, including homeschool. Therefore, none of the HBI (home-based instruction, the legal name for homeschooling) laws apply to children under the age of 8.
Those children remain educationally free.
Beginning on your child's 8th birthday, you must either enroll in a school, or homeschool. To homeschool, you must qualify, declare intent, begin to cover the 11 subjects, test or assess annually, and keep certain records. More on each of these here: http://washhomeschool.org/homeschooling/law.html
Please note that ALEs, online schools, PPPs, etc., even those which take place in the home, are not homeschooling under WA law. Public school laws apply to those programs and are not covered in this document.
You only need meet one of the qualifications. Either 45 college quarter credit hours (about 24-30 semester hours, or one year full time college work) in any subject; OR take a Parent Qualifying Course; OR hire a teacher to supervise; OR superintendent approval. If you'd like to take a Parent Qualifying Course, we offer one at Convention http://washhomeschool.org/conven…/parent-qualifying-courses/ , which also includes a WHO membership, and entry to both days of Convention for your entire family.
The first Declaration of Intent should be submitted when your child turns 8. The second and subsequent will be filed on the 15th of September each year there after. The law requires only your child's name and age on the DofI. Many schools ask for more information than is required by law. You are not obliged to provide it. There is a DofI that is in compliance with the law here: http://washhomeschool.org/homeschooling/Declaration.pdf
It should be sent to the superintendent of your local school district (usually in the district office -- the address will be on the district's website).
I used to send in two copies with an SASE; my district would stamp my copy and send it back for my files. This is not necessary, but it useful for showing places where you'd like to get an educator discount.
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** 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.
You do not need to cover the 11 subjects every day, every week, or even every year. Some are meant for the lower grades (social studies); some are meant for the upper grades (history). In the public schools, occupational education is that one day that the police officer, firefighter, and doctor parents come in and share about their jobs. PE is not a required subject (though it might certainly fall under health, which is), nor is literature (which just makes me cringe).
You have a choice to test OR to assess annually. The test must be an academic achievement test given by a qualified individual. It is the testing companies that qualify individuals to proctor their tests. Some require a bachelor's degree, some an advanced degree in psychology plus specialized training in that test, and others simply require that you be a homeschooling parent in WA. The assessment must be performed by a certificated person currently working in the field of education.
The certain records you must keep are the test/assessment scores and immunization records. These are the records a school may request from you at the time of a transfer. If you have taken a medical, philosophical, or religious exemption, to vaccination, you should use that paperwork for this documentation.
How, when, where you homeschool – these are choices that are completely up to you. The law specifically states that “parents who are causing their children to receive home-based instruction shall be subject only to those minimum state laws and regulations which are necessary in ensuring that a sufficient basic educational opportunity is provided to the children receiving such instruction. Therefore, all decisions relating to philosophy or doctrine, selection of books, teaching materials and curriculum, and methods, timing and place in the provision or evaluation of home-based instruction shall be the responsibility of the parent.
The homeschool law also states that the legislature recognizes that home-based instruction is less structured and more experiential than the instruction normally provided in a classroom. Therefore, the provisions relating to the nature and quantity of instructional and related educational activities shall be liberally construed.”
You are free to choose any curriculum, or to choose none.
Find what works for you and yours, don't bother trying to “keep up with the Joneses,” and you'll see very quickly that your kids will excel in some areas, and not in others. It's okay. Play to their strengths, mitigate their weaknesses, help them develop a sense of wonder, a love of learning, and foster their innate curiosity. The rest will take care of itself.
Come to the WHO Convention. www.washhomeschool.org/convention
It’s two days of workshops and seminars, family activities, and hundreds of curriculum vendors. We’re the largest homeschool convention on the west coast – and it’s all right here in our own backyard.
When it all gets to be too much, consult your local homeschool group – they're the best source of information and support. http://washhomeschool.org/homeschooling/support.html
If you have more questions, give me a hollar at WHOContact@washhomeschool.org
We would, of course, welcome your support as a WHO member: http://washhomeschool.org/about-who/membership/ If this information has been helpful to you, please consider joining WHO to support us in supporting homeschoolers in WA.
Warmly,
--Jen