February 28, 2006
Harlan Orders Homeschool Graduate Back to School
A member family in Harlan County recently received a letter from the local Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP) threatening them with court action for truancy. The DPP ordered the family to enroll their daughter in school within 24 hours or face charges.
By the time Mr. and Mrs. Franklin* received the letter the 24-hour deadline had already passed. They immediately contacted HSLDA.
The letter's tone—and its ignorance of the facts—shocked Mr. and Mrs. Franklin. Not only was their daughter over 16, the age limit for compulsory attendance in Kentucky, she had graduated from their homeschool program the previous school year. Mr. and Mrs. Franklin had notified the school district of this fact at the beginning of the 2005-06 school year.
HSLDA attorney Thomas Schmidt immediately faxed a letter to the DPP demanding that they cease this outrageous behavior. Schmidt pointed out that Mr. and Mrs. Franklin's daughter was no longer subject to Kentucky compulsory attendance law since she was over 16 and had completed a high school education at home.
After hearing from HSLDA, the school district dropped all of their demands and left Mr. and Mrs. Franklin to continue educating their children in peace.
* Not their real name.
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