September 14, 2005
Kindergarten Exemption Trouble
Maryland law allows a family to exempt their kindergartner from compulsory attendance. This gives the family one extra year before they need to file their notice of consent with the school district.
HSLDA member families in Baltimore County and Saint Mary's County both filed kindergarten exemptions. They used HSLDA's sample letter, which contained all of the required information under the COMAR regulations. The regulations require that the school district approve the request for exemption in writing within five working days from the date of receipt.
However, both counties demanded that the families request the exemption on official school district forms that contained unnecessary questions.
HSLDA called the school officials in both counties and explained that the families had complied with the regulations and did not need to use the school districts' forms. The school districts immediately backed down and granted the families their kindergarten exemptions.
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