UTAH
School District Alters Policy
Under Utah law, home schoolers have to be "approved" by the local school district. The law simply states that a home-schooled child must be "taught at home in the subjects prescribed by the State Board of Education in accordance with the law for the same length of time as minors are required by law to be taught in the districts' schools." In a 1986 opinion, the Attorney General made it clear that the school district could not require home school families to present a "comprehensive plan or to engage in a comprehensive review or ongoing supervision of the home-study arrangement."
In September, the Granite School District contacted a Home School Legal Defense Association family in Salt Lake City, because they had not completed the form that the school district had sent them. The form had certain questions which exceeded the law.
One section of the Granite School District's form, also a part of its guidelines, stated that the district "had a legal obligation to monitor home schools." The guidelines further stated that home school families were required to submit "a calendar which is to be prepared which shows the days and hours that the home school will be in session." The member family took issue with these aspects of the guidelines, and HSLDA Attorney Christopher Klicka wrote to the school district on their behalf.
In his letter, Klicka made it clear that under the compulsory attendance law and the Attorney General Opinion, the school district had no authority to "monitor" home schoolers. He explained that the family did not have to submit any "comprehensive plan" concerning their schedule of study and that the HSLDA family, therefore, would stand on the information they had previously submitted.
In December, the Granite School District informed HSLDA that they were altering their home school policy. In the new policy, which they submitted to HSLDA, the requirement that the school district "monitor" home schoolers was dropped. The comprehensive calendar requirement was amended. HSLDA is thankful for the improvements in the policy and will continue to monitor the situation to make sure the school district remains within the bounds of the law.
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