International Email of the Day:
I am about to do our DOI for this year, but I don’t know where to send it because we live in Korea and don’t have a school district. Would you please tell me where to send it? Thank you.
Answer:
Education laws don’t actually extend past the borders of an individual state. I’m going to guess that you’re a US military spouse and your base/post commander has ordered that everyone follow the laws of their state of residence.
The purpose of the Declaration of Intent is twofold: to relieve the local school of their burden to provide your child with an education, and to provide you protection from a charge of truancy. Being in Korea, you can’t be truant in WA, so it should not be sent to a school here. In the case of US military members overseas, the Declaration of Intent should go to either the base commander or to the Principal of the DoDDS (I’m dating myself here — I know there’s a new acronym, but I can’t recall it) school on the installation.
In either case (if you are not associated with the military and not subject to the SoFA agreement, or if you are) you do not need to send a Declaration of Intent to a school in WA until what time you are physically in WA.
Let me know if you have further questions.
Warmly,
–Jen Garrison Stuber, WHO Board Advocacy Chair