| HSLDA News | October 15, 2001 |
 | |
Washington School District Forces Home Schoolers to Seek "Approval"
This year, home schoolers in Easton School District were surprised to receive a different form instead of the standard Declaration of Intent. Unfortunately, the new form did not comply with state law governing home schooling.
The new form, Supplementary Application for Approval to Provide Home-Based Instruction, required the parent to verify the child's former school, school records, and testing, none of which is required by law. In addition, the name of the form itself posed a significant problem, since state law specifies that home schooling parents must submit a declaration of intent. The school district has no right to force home schoolers to seek "approval."
When a Home School Legal Defense Association member family asked our legal staff about Easton's Supplementary Application, we advised the family to submit a different form. We then wrote the school district on behalf of the family, explaining that the attempt to impose this new form was illegal.
