Previous Issue Current Issue Next Issue About Search Archives Advertising VOLUME XX, NUMBER 3 - disclaimer - May / June 2004 FEATURES The Best Preventative Medicine What are mandatory reporters? Quick tickets to a social services investigation DEPARTMENTS Freedom watch Same-sex marriage: Not a tangential battle Across the states About campus "Intelligence" takes on new meaning Active cases Members only Wanted: Words from the wise Around the globe Netherlands victory Canadian Supreme Court affirms parental rights Presidents Page Not in vain ET AL. HSLDA social services contact policy/A plethora of forms HSLDA legal inquiries Prayer & Praise On the other hand: a Contrario Sensu  «   LEGAL/LEGISLATIVE UPDATES   »  ACROSS THE STATES CA · DE · FL · ID · IL · IN · IA · KY · LA · MI · MO · NJ · NM · NY · ND · OH · OR · RI · SC · SD · TN · TX · VT · VA · WA · WV · WI · WY SOUTH CAROLINA HSLDA resolves truancy charges Home School Legal Defense Association recently assisted a Newberry family that was charged with truancy after withdrawing their son from public school to homeschool him. The child's mother followed the public school's procedure for withdrawal of the student and received a withdrawal slip signed by the school guidance counselor. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, the student's subsequent absences from public school were considered to be unexcused. When contacted by a school official about her son's absences, the mother furnished a copy of the withdrawal slip. However, the school attendance officer proceeded to file truancy charges in family court. HSLDA Senior Counsel Dewitt Black contacted the attendance officer by telephone, providing him with another copy of the withdrawal slip along with verification that the student was now enrolled in a homeschool association in compliance with South Carolina's compulsory attendance law. After reviewing this documentation, the attendance officer had the truancy charges dismissed. Even though parents may clearly be in compliance with their state's homeschool law and their local public school's withdrawal procedure, they may still be charged with truancy and find that the assistance of an attorney is necessary. — by Dewitt T. Black