January 10, 2006
Inventing New Requirements
A Home School Legal Defense Association member family in Columbus was surprised to find new language in their annual excuse letter. Instead of the simple language stating that the children had been exempted from school attendance, the letter contained a paragraph telling the family that, "If your child will be requested to perform any errands during the 'school day', [sic] a copy of this letter must accompany your child."
This requirement cannot be found in any Ohio statute or regulation, and the letter from Columbus Public Schools did not cite any law. It would appear that an overzealous administrator simply decided that this requirement would be a good idea and unilaterally tried to enforce it. HSLDA promptly sent a letter questioning the legality of this requirement.
As of the time of this writing, HSLDA has received no response to its letter. Thanks to the vigilance of this member family, it appears that this phony mandate will go no further!
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