Legal / Legislative Updates

Declaration of Intent Forms Go Beyond the Law

During the 2008–09 school year, several Washington member families reported to Home School Legal Defense Association that the information requested by their local district’s “Declaration of Intent” form was more than what is legally required.*

Each year (by September 15th or within two weeks of any quarter, trimester, or semester) parents are required to submit to their local superintendent a signed declaration of intent to homeschool their children.

This year, the Ocosta School District asked homeschooling parents to provide each child’s birth date and grade level, the parents’ telephone number, and a statement on how they were qualified to teach their children at home.

The West Valley School District form went even further. In addition to all of the information requested by Ocosta, West Valley asked for the last public school attended and the grades in which the child had been enrolled there. West Valley also requested that the parent provide the “proposed homeschool grade.”

Washington law requires the declaration of intent to be “written in the format prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction” and to include the name and age of the child. If the parents don’t otherwise meet the requirements to be “qualified” to teach their children at home, they must indicate that they are going to be supervised by a certificated person.

HSLDA Staff Attorney Thomas Schmidt contacted both school districts and informed them that their forms were in violation of state law. Parents who become aware that their district form requests unnecessary information should contact HSLDA for assistance.

— by Thomas J. Schmidt