June 17, 2005
Lee County School District Exceeds Their Authority
An HSLDA member family received a letter, dated May 24, 2005, from the Lee County Public Schools. In the letter, the school district's "Home School Educator" informed the family that she was recently revising all homeschool registrations to "include a requirement for an original birth certificate for any student who has never enrolled in a Lee County Public School." The letter stated that the family's "registration process" would not be complete until the birth certificates were received.
This requirement exceeded the school district's authority.
HSLDA Attorney, Chris Klicka immediately responded with a letter of his own in defense of the family. In Klicka's letter, he explained to the district that Florida law does not require families to include an original birth certificate. Klicka stated that the family was declining their request based on their "convictions and for reasons of privacy."
If you receive a request or demand from the Lee County School District to submit your student's original birth certificate, do not comply and contact HSLDA immediately. The school district has no legal authority to make this demand.
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