August 26, 2005
Shelbyville Backs Down From Threat
At the end of last year, the Wallace family told the staff at Shelbyville High School they would be homeschooling their son the following year. As the new school year began, however, a staff member told the family that he would report them to social services unless they agreed to meet with the principal and sign a withdrawal form.
Since the Wallaces did not remember the name of the staff member, HSLDA attorney Scott Woodruff called the principal. He denied the school had a policy of reporting homeschool families to social services if they refused to meet with him or sign a withdrawal form and dismissed the idea of any member of his staff saying otherwise.
The Wallaces then followed up with the principal's administrative assistant. She said the family would not have to meet with the principal, but would have to sign a withdrawal form. She did not say what the consequences would be if the family refused to sign the form.
Attorney Woodruff called the assistant to obtain a copy of the withdrawal form for inspection. To our surprise, she said the family would not, after all, need to fill out the form.
It appears that confusion within the administration led to the conflicting policy positions given by the school. Woodruff sent a letter to the principal to prevent this unfortunate scenario from happening again.
Homeschool families are not required to meet with the principal or sign any particular form when they withdraw a student from public school for the purpose of providing private education at home. Sending a very brief letter telling school officials your child is going to be educated privately is advisable, however, to minimize the likelihood of misunderstandings.
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