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Truancy charges threatened

On August 26, 2004, a Home School Legal Defense Association member family received a letter from the attendance specialist of the Houston Independent School District. The poorly written letter stated,

I have information that last year she [the student] was home school[ed]. Please provide proof that she is home school[ed]. I need proof of materials that were purchase[d] and who is presenting the curriculum . . . Failure to do so will result in a court case.

Attached to the letter were an intimidating "truancy warning" and a Home School Information* form for the family to complete.

The concerned member family contacted HSLDA, and Senior Counsel Christopher Klicka responded promptly. In a letter to the school district dated August 27, 2004, Klicka made it clear that the truancy warning was unwarranted and heavy-handed. He pointed out that the family had already notified the school district that they were homeschooling, and that all the demands in the school district's letter exceeded the requirements of law and violated the family's civil and statutory rights. He specified that no annual notification, completion of school district forms, or provision of curriculum "proof" is required in Texas. Nothing further has been heard from the school district.

If you live in the Houston Independent School District and receive a truancy warning or school district forms, please contact our office immediately.

* See "A plethora of forms".

Truancy action filed

This spring, truancy charges were filed against an HSLDA member family in Fort Worth who had just begun homeschooling. Apparently, the charges were filed in retaliation for the parents' removal of their son from public school. Our Texas attorney, Tom Sanders, is representing this family and working on having the charges dropped.

— by Christopher J. Klicka