June 29, 2007
Two Districts Demand Records
Homeschool families in Martin and McCreary counties were recently surprised to receive a letter from their local Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP), just as the 2006-2007 school year came to a close. These letters demanded that the families come into the school district office and provide copies of attendance records, report cards and curriculum.
Home School Legal Defense Association Staff Attorney Thomas Schmidt immediately contacted school district officials in both Martin and McCreary counties, and informed them that homeschool parents were not legally required to provide any of the documentation that they requested. Homeschool parents in Kentucky are not required to provide their curriculum to be approved by the local DPP. There was simply no legal basis for the school districts to demand this information.
While Kentucky law does require homeschool families to maintain attendance records, the “Best Practice Document” does not require parents to regularly submit these records. The only time a parent should be required to submit any of the homeschool records they must keep on file would be if they failed to submit their notice of intent within two weeks of the beginning of the school year, or if there is evidence that the family is not conducting a bona-fide homeschool program.
After receiving the letters from HSLDA, both of the school districts dropped these demands. HSLDA member families report receiving similar letters on a fairly regular basis. Many times it is simply an overzealous district attempting to harass homeschool families. If you receive a letter from your school district demanding that you submit records, please call HSLDA.
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