Across the States
Plan for Math not Adequate
After submitting their Individual Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) forms for their two children, Mr. and Mrs. Hardwick (name changed to protect privacy) received a letter from the Whitesboro Central School District informing them that their plans for math were not sufficient because they didn’t follow the district’s plans. The district requested that Mr. and Mrs. Hardwick review its suggested changes and revise the IHIPs accordingly.
The Hardwicks called Home School Legal Defense Association to find out if they had to follow the district’s math requirements. HSLDA Staff Attorney Thomas Schmidt confirmed that they did not need to and wrote to the Whitesboro district on their behalf.
Under New York regulations, a school district is to review the IHIP to ensure that the parents are teaching the required subjects. However, school officials don’t have authority to limit the content or the method of instruction provided in a homeschool program. Even the New York State Education Department acknowledges that the district’s review is to be only an objective determination that the required subjects are being taught. It is not to be a subjective review of the material or plan of instruction.
Schmidt informed the school district that Mr. and Mrs. Hardwick are free to outline their plan of instruction for math as they see fit. They are not restricted by what the local public school district teaches. The school district accepted this explanation, and the Hardwicks have been able to continue teaching their two children according to their stated plan for math.
— by Thomas J. Schmidt
