When a Missouri homeschool graduate applied for a job with a big healthcare company and received an offer, she happily accepted. She put in her two-weeks’ notice at her old job, excited to start afresh somewhere new.
The prospective employer then asked a background check company to verify that her high school diploma was valid. The company contacted the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
But because state law gives state education officials no role in homeschooling, DESE could not confirm that her diploma was valid.
The company told the graduate that the job offer was in jeopardy.
Refusing to Give Up
Surprised and frustrated, she did her best to explain to them that she was educated lawfully. She pointed out that DESE can’t confirm a homeschool diploma because it has nothing to do with homeschooling.
She told them she was going to continue to fight for the job because she believed it was a good opportunity for professional growth. She had no intention of giving up on this!
But they made good on their threat and rescinded the job offer. She was indignant and alarmed—no other employer she had ever worked with had questioned her status as a bona fide high school graduate.
The healthcare company invited her to reapply after earning a GED. In response, she asked to escalate the issue to someone higher in the organization. Her point-of-contact said she would meet with her supervisor to discuss the situation very soon.
Explaining the Law
The homeschool graduate reached out to HSLDA for help. I quickly sent a letter explaining that Missouri Statute 105.255.1 prohibits discrimination against homeschool graduates in situations like this.
Within 24 hours of receiving my letter, the company reinstated the job offer!
After happily plugging in to her new job, the graduate looked back and shook her head about the rebuffs she had to fight through and said: “That was something I never in my wildest dreams thought would happen to me!”