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CALIFORNIA

Mid-year retreat from public schools

This is the time of year that Home School Legal Defense Association sees a surge in homeschooling. Families with no plans to homeschool often pull their children out of public school during the holiday season because of unforeseen issues that arise. Many of these people will be your neighbors and friends. They will be looking to more experienced homeschoolers—such as you—for guidance.

Remind your friends that they must properly notify public school authorities that they are withdrawing their children and enrolling them in a private school. If families simply keep their children at home, the school district will assume they are accumulating unexcused absences and will be obliged to take some action.

Those who start homeschooling mid-year often find that enrolling in an existing private school independent study program (ISP) helps their family make a smoother transition to their new educational choice. But a family can also still file a private school affidavit after the October 15 deadline. It is legal to establish a new private school at any time during the year.

New homeschoolers need your encouragement and support. For many parents, the decision to homeschool will arise out of frustration with a particular teacher or situation. They may not have a strong conviction about homeschooling, and many of these children will return to public school the next school year. It's important to help these families find the value in homeschooling for their children's lives and to share with them our conviction that home education is the best possible choice for our children.