Minnesota
District Makes Illegal Demands
Every home schooling family in ISD 690 received an interesting letter mid-April from their superintendent. The letter requested that the family submit proof of teacher qualifications; quarterly report cards; documentation on curriculum demonstrating that the required subjects were being covered; class schedules; copies of materials; and the results of an annual standardized test. HSLDA advised its member families that they were not required to provide their home school notification a second time.
The stated purpose of this request was “to determine your compliance with the compulsory attendance law.” It’s interesting that this request came from the superintendent’s office in mid-April while the reporting deadline for home schooling is October 1, the date by which home schoolers submit their notification. And it is unclear why the superintendent would request this information when his office has already received the home schoolers’ notifications.
Also, the letter makes a number of requests outside the reporting requirements of Minn. Statutes 120A.24. There is no requirement for a home school program to document in the initial notification that they are covering the required subjects or to provide copies of instructional materials and class schedules. The law only requires home schoolers to make that information available if the superintendent requests an on-site “home” visit and if the family does not desire to open their home to inspection.
Another issue in this letter is the request to provide the results of the standardized achievement test. In a memorandum dated November 17, 1994, the state superintendent advised local superintendents that submission of test scores could not be mandated. Despite this fact, some school districts continue to demand test results. — J. Michael Smith
