Laws that regulate home education vary from state to state. It is important to understand the legal requirements in your state and to be aware of legislative and other legal issues that affect homeschoolers in your community. We've compiled resources that will help you become informed. Although homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, and the vast majority of homeschoolers face no problems, you may find that you need legal assistance at some point in your homeschooling career. We've compiled a list of resources to help you find the support you need. And if you'd like to become more involved in working towards homeschooling freedoms, we discuss some of the issues facing homeschoolers that we hope you find compelling.
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| State Laws |
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Read the laws regulating home education in Washington and browse through the case law and legal opinions relating to those laws, along with government publications relating to homeschooling and summaries of the laws.
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| Forms |
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Which forms do you need to fill out? Where can you get them? Here is a list of useful forms for homeschooling in Washington.
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| Legal Support |
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If you need legal information or have run into a legal situation regarding your decision to homeschool, these resources will be helpful.
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| Lobbying Groups |
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A listing of local and national lobbying groups and information on how you can become involved in the political process to ensure the freedom to homeschool is protected.
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| Attorneys |
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When searching for an attorney, it is helpful to know whether he or she has experience working with homeschoolers and is interested in protecting the right to homeschool.
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| Legal Issues |
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Is homeschooling legal? Which laws pertain to homeschoolers and which don't? How do homeschoolers protect their rights to freely educate their children and to preserve their privacy?
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| Government Resources |
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A listing of local and state government resources, including your state's Department of Education, school districts, and Senate and House of Representative information.
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Record Keeping |
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Mia Anderson |
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Record keeping is often overlooked in conversations about the homeschool law because it is an easily met requirement, and seems to have no great impact. And yet, the very fact that we compile and maintain our children's records, and store them in our homes, is one of the strongest indicators of how truly independent homeschooling is from public or private education in Washington State.
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RCW 28A.200.010 Home-based instruction - Duties of parents - Exemption from high school assessment |
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(1) Each parent whose child is receiving home-based instruction under RCW 28A.225.010(4) shall have the duty to: (a) File annually a signed declaration of intent that he or she is planning to cause his or her child to receive home-based instruction ... (b) Ensure that test scores or annual academic progress assessments and immunization records, together with any other records that are kept relating to the instructional and educational activities provided, are forwarded to any other public or private school to which the child transfers ... (c) Ensure that a standardized achievement test approved by the state board of education is administered annually to the child by a qualified individual or that an annual assessment of the student's academic progress is written by a certificated person who is currently working in the field of education. |
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