A homeschool graduate seeking a law enforcement job in southern Maryland hit a roadblock. The law enforcement agency refused to accept his parent-issued high school diploma as evidence of having completed a high school education. The agency representative quoted a regulation in support of the rejection.

After I looked into the situation, it became clear to me that the agency representative had overlooked some important details in the regulations. I wrote a letter to the representative explaining the appropriate way the regulations apply to this situation. The family submitted additional material at my suggestion.

A month later, the agency representative told the graduate that his application was clear to move to the next stage.

While this is a good outcome, Maryland homeschool graduates have found it difficult or impossible to secure law enforcement jobs in the past. There is no way of knowing whether this situation is an anomaly or whether it represents the turning of the tide.