Once again, we had to remind a Chicago-area public school that parents, not school officials, are in charge of where and how children are educated.
Last year, we successfully intervened when a Chicago-area charter school (a type of public school) refused to let a family withdraw their child to be educated at home, until the family agreed to use a special form.
This year, the same situation happened again, this time to another family. A Chicago-area mom decided to withdraw her daughter from public school in order to homeschool her. But when she filed her withdrawal letter, the public school refused to accept it.
She was told she had to use a specific form, and the school district personnel even went so far as to tell the mom that her daughter would remain listed as a public school student. Until the mom used the school’s specific form, they said, her daughter would begin to accrue unexcused absences (opening the door to truancy proceedings).
This form, of course, is not required under Illinois law.
Speedy Resolution
HSLDA quickly got involved—we sent an email to the school personnel, reminding them of Illinois law. Within a few minutes of receiving HSLDA’s message, the school backtracked, verifying that everything was in order, and that the HSLDA member’s daughter was officially withdrawn.
We are here to defend you and your family’s fundamental right to educate your children in your own home, whether it’s defending you individually from harassment or defending families statewide on issues like fighting to ensure that homeschooling remains free from government control.