Across the States
College's Doors Swing Open Again
Last fall, Burlington County College in Pemberton, New Jersey, implemented a new policy requiring homeschool students applying for enrollment to obtain a signature from a public school official.
State law does not require homeschool families to file any notice with the public schools. This new requirement, therefore, had the potential to create significant obstacles for homeschoolers.
Home School Legal Defense Association Staff Attorney Scott Woodruff and Mark August of the Education Network of Christian Home-schoolers of New Jersey wrote a letter jointly to Dr. Robert Messina, president of Burlington County College. They explained the difficulty caused for homeschool families by the new policy and asked him to revise it.
Shortly thereafter, HSLDA received a reply from Dr. Charles Tantillo, vice president of student services at the college. Apologizing for the situation, he said that homeschoolers would no longer need to obtain a signature from a public school official to enroll, and that the signature of a parent confirming that the child was homeschooled would now be sufficient.
We deeply appreciate Burlington County College's sensitivity to the needs of homeschool families.
— by Scott A. Woodruff
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