October 28, 2004
Giving What the Law Requires
Ohio requires homeschoolers to provide a "brief outline of the curriculum," which is "for informational purposes only." Unfortunately, there is no definition of the word "brief." This has led to a number of clashes between school districts and homeschool families over what exactly is required, especially when families move from one district that accepts a very brief outline to another that demands a full table of contents for every textbook used. The Department of Education recently instructed school officials that they may demand more information than many homeschool families had previously provided.
This new directive is a problem for families that value their privacy. Ohio's privacy law treats homeschool records as "public records," which must be disclosed to third parties upon request. The "brief outline" that must be submitted for "informational purposes only" can wind up in the hands of any person who really wants to get it.
Fortunately, the Ohio Department of Education and a number of school districts are sensitive to these concerns. Several school districts who had been threatening prosecutions have agreed to review the family's "brief outline" and then return it without copying it, as long as the family provides a self-addressed stamped envelope for that purpose. The Department of Education has no objections to this approach. Given the positive response to this means of protecting homeschool privacy, HSLDA has announced plans to revise our Ohio notice of intent forms to make this practice standard in every district next fall. This means that all HSLDA members should have more educational privacy by this time next year.
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