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Will Mayor’s Takeover Affect Homeschoolers?
Newly elected Mayor Adrian Fenty was given control over the District of Columbia
schools on April 20, 2007, when the city council voted 9-2 to pass the District
of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act. Home School Legal Defense Association is watching to determine if the mayor intends to promulgate new regulations concerning homeschooling within the District.
The newly passed law can be found online. The only references to private schools and private instruction are the following, which are being added to the current section
establishing the authority of the D.C. “State Education Office”:
(7) Issue rules to establish requirements to govern acceptable credit to be granted for studies completed at
independent, private, public, and public charter schools and private instruction;
(8) Prescribe minimum amounts
of instructional time for all schools
in the District, including public,
public charter, and private schools . . .
Certainly D.C. has enough difficulties
to resolve in the public school system
without interfering with the exceptional work being done by local homeschoolers. HSLDA is working to make contact with the mayor’s officer to ensure that the current system for homeschooling remains as
undisturbed as possible.
— by Michael P. Donnelly
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