When Mary submitted her notice of intent to homeschool to her local public school superintendent, the last thing she expected was a letter from her student’s principal. The principal refused to withdraw her daughter unless Mary provided more information.
In Ohio, homeschool parents are required to submit a notice of intent annually. The regulations are very specific about what the notice must include, and local school districts cannot request more information than the law requires. The superintendent must acknowledge a parent’s homeschool notice with a letter excusing the student from compulsory attendance for the school year.
Reaching Out
Surprised to receive a refusal from the principal instead of a letter of excuse from the superintendent, Mary contacted HSLDA.
We wrote to the school principal and informed him that the law does not require Mary to provide him any information about her homeschool program.
We also pointed out that Mary wasn’t “requesting” to homeschool. She was exercising her parental rights to choose how to best direct the education of her children. She does not need to get approval to homeschool.
The principal did not write back. But in less than 24 hours, Mary received an email with her excuse letter from the school superintendent.