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We protect your right to homeschool
Since 1983, Home School Legal Defense Association’s primary goal has remained the same—to bring together a large number of homeschooling families so that each can have a low-cost method of obtaining quality legal defense. HSLDA gives families the freedom to homeschool without having to face legal threats alone. Through many families sticking together, we have been able to keep the cost of a year’s membership close to the rate that you would have to pay for an hour of an attorney’s time almost anywhere else.
After a family joins HSLDA, there are no further charges of any kind for defending them in court. HSLDA pays in full all attorney fees, expert witness costs, travel expenses, and all other court costs permissible by state law for us to pay.
The vast majority of contacts member families face are successfully resolved through our early intervention without any court action. Many times HSLDA attorneys call or write letters on behalf of members contacted by local officials. For those who wind up in court, HSLDA provides full representation at every stage of legal proceedings.
We promote homeschooling
HSLDA responds to many media inquiries every week. Inquiries range from simple fact-based questions on the number of homeschoolers and why people choose homeschooling to requests for on-camera interviews. As well as hosting reporters from the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Economist, and CNN, HSLDA also hosts reporters from other countries. We have been visited by teams from Italy, Japan, and Brazil, with several more in the planning stages.
Homeschooling has entered the mainstream. Providing high-quality research materials and articulate spokesmen helps change the public perception of homeschooling. There is much work to be done, but we’ve made significant progress and will continue to share the benefits of homeschooling with a wide audience.
We preserve homeschool freedom
For over 20 years, HSLDA has been an advocate for family and homeschool freedom. Through our work in the court systems and in various legislative bodies across the nation, we have been able to preserve and expand the rights of parents to choose the best educational option for their children. Furthermore, we have witnessed through God’s grace the maturing of a generation of young people poised to make an impact on American culture.
To further equip this next generation, HSLDA has created the Generation Joshua program. Patriotism, excellence, and civic involvement are the focus of this outreach to our members. Already we have seen the effectiveness of homeschoolers as leaders and agents of change in the world around them. The goal of Generation Joshua is to further equip homeschoolers through its various programs to be leaders for change in the next generation and, with God’s grace, for many generations to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What we do:
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1. Does HSLDA represent members in social services contacts?
In every contact with a social worker/police officer regarding allegations of abuse or neglect, HSLDA provides assistance and advice to our member families. If the investigation focuses on homeschooling, we will represent you until the matter is resolved. HSLDA membership benefits do not extend to representation should court action result on non-homeschooling matters. HSLDA has in the past, and may choose in the future, to take cases where there has been a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. We reserve the right to accept such cases at our sole discretion.
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2. Does HSLDA represent a member’s right to homeschool when challenged by third parties (grandparents, for example) in visitation and/or custody cases?
Yes. Unlike a custody case between two parents, this is a clear parental rights case. We believe parents should have the absolute right to control the upbringing of their children without interference from grandparents and other relatives, if they so choose, where there is no clear evidence that the parents are placing the child in danger.
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3. Does HSLDA have a lobbying agenda?
Yes. On the federal level, we oppose legislation that would reduce parental freedoms and promote legislation that would increase parental freedoms and strengthen the family. In state legislatures, we work in conjunction with the state organizations towards the same goals. In representing the best interests of our members, we build consensus with the state leadership before we attempt any legislative initiative in a state. As a result of that cooperation, we have worked together with many homeschool leaders to improve the law.
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4. What is HSLDA’s involvement, if any, in the international growth of home education?
HSLDA is frequently contacted by individuals or associations in foreign countries asking for help with homeschooling issues. The types of inquiries range from individuals who are being prosecuted for homeschooling to those who are seeking to change their country’s law to improve the atmosphere for homeschooling, or who are establishing their own homeschool association. We have assigned Christopher Klicka, Senior Counsel of HSLDA, to assist, wherever possible, homeschoolers in other countries where the law is difficult or does not provide for homeschooling. HSLDA has provided information to parents in many other countries who want to set up homeschool legal defense organizations. We are currently working with homeschoolers in South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, and Japan, among others, to establish the freedom to homeschool in those countries. We will not establish a branch of HSLDA in a foreign country.
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What we don’t do:
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5. Does HSLDA provide curriculum?
Our main focus is on providing legal services to homeschooling families. We do provide limited resources, some publications, and a few helpful tips. (See “Tips on Curriculum.”)
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6. Can I receive legal advice without joining HSLDA?
The giving of legal advice by an HSLDA attorney establishes an attorney-client relationship which places upon the attorney certain ethical obligations toward the client. Normally, an attorney would require payment of a retainer to establish this relationship. HSLDA establishes this relationship through membership. Providing legal advice to non-members requires a commitment on our part without a return commitment on the part of the client.
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7. Why doesn’t HSLDA represent the parent seeking to homeschool in divorce cases?
HSLDA’s primary mission is to protect the legal right of parents to homeschool from agents of the state. In truancy and educational neglect cases it is the state versus the parents. In divorce cases, however, it is father versus mother. As a general rule, homeschooling only becomes an issue in a divorce case when the parents cannot agree with each other about the children’s education. Because they cannot agree, the judge must decide what’s best for the children based on the evidence before him.
Also, divorce cases involve many issues besides education and are often protracted and bitter. And they are very costly. After careful consideration, we long ago determined that we simply do not have the resources to represent parents in divorce cases.
Additionally, on many occasions, the breakup of the marriage comes after the parents joined HSLDA as husband and wife. Because both parents either are or have been HSLDA members we cannot represent an interest contrary to either spouse, even though one may be trying to keep the other from homeschooling.
We do provide a free information packet containing briefs and expert witness referrals and we will consult with the member’s attorney where there is no conflict of interest.
One exception to our basic rule is if a judge rules that homeschooling is illegal, which would have consequences statewide and not just for the parties to the divorce case. In those cases we will defend the legality of home education in that state.
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8. Will you sell or give out my address information?
No. All information is kept confidential, including address or personal information. You may periodically receive mailings from the Home School Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization directly related to HSLDA.
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9. If I stop homeschooling, will HSLDA help me persuade public school officials to accept my child’s homeschool credits?
It is common for public school districts to disqualify credits of homeschoolers transferring into public high school.
Consistent with our mission to conserve our resources for helping parents who continue to homeschool, we are not able to extend our advocacy to situations where parents are enrolling their students in public school. Please be aware that this limitation extends to public charter school programs.
HSLDA’s mission is to advance the cause of homeschooling. To this end, we advocate for homeschoolers when the legitimacy of their diploma is questioned, for instance, by colleges, employers or military recruiters.
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