We recently learned about a letter from Allegany County Public Schools that appeared to threaten families who homeschool under the portfolio option.
While many families in Maryland homeschool under a church or private school umbrella, other parents homeschool under the portfolio option. You can read about the various legal options here.
Unfortunately, the portfolio option sometimes leads to extra-legal inquiries and demands from school districts.
The Allegany County Public Schools district sent a letter to homeschoolers in the district stating that “This notice is to inform the parent/guardian of home instruction students that the review process will change this school year. Due to the increased volume of home instruction students, moving forward [sic] it will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian to … schedule the Semester 1 portfolio review. … If you do not call to schedule the portfolio review, the child shall be promptly enrolled in school” (emphasis in original).
In response, HSLDA quickly sent a letter reminding the school district of what Maryland’s laws and regulations actually say. We expect that the school district will quickly back down, but if not, we are ready to defend our HSLDA member families in Allegany County.
If your school district tries something similar and you are a member of HSLDA, please let us know.
As a homeschool graduate from Pennsylvania, and a homeschool dad in northern Virginia, this battle is personal for me. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you and your family in the state of Maryland.