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ARKANSAS

District seeks Social Security numbers

At the beginning of the current school year, the South Conway County School District in Morrilton provided homeschoolers with a notice of intent form requesting the Social Security number for each child to be taught at home.^* According to the Arkansas Department of Education regulations for homeschools, notice of intent forms must be obtained from the local public school superintendent's office. But state law does not require parents to provide their child's Social Security number as part of the information submitted with the notice of intent. The information sought in the form is limited to the following: child's name, date of birth, and grade level; name and address of the school last attended by the child, if any; the location of the homeschool; the basic core curriculum to be offered; the proposed schedule of instruction; and the qualifications of the parent-teacher.

When contacted by a Home School Legal Defense Association member family in Morrilton, Senior Counsel Dewitt Black assured them that they did not have to provide the Social Security numbers for their children. Martha Adcock, an attorney with the Arkansas Family Council, also assisted in this matter by speaking with officials at the Arkansas Department of Education and the local school district. As a result, the school district backed off from its effort to obtain the children's Social Security numbers.

Any HSLDA member family asked to provide information to their local school district in addition to what is required by state law should contact us for assistance.

— by Dewitt T. Black