You may be wondering why I would blog about homeschooling so soon after my last homeschool post. Well, it is because I value the liberty to homeschool within the confines of each state’s laws, and Pennsylvania homeschooling laws are probably the hardest in the nation. I am a person who abides by the law, and I want others to abide by the law, too. Especially, those in power who try to maybe use their power a little too much. Before I delve into the details of homeschooling in Pennsylvania, I want to explain a little bit of the “why” I am writing this post. When we moved to Pennsylvania last year, I had already studied the laws, and after we moved here, I sent in the required paperwork prior to homeschooling. I did NOT receive any communication from the local school district. I did have my signed return receipt, so we proceeded to homeschool. Their choice not to communicate with me was fine by me. After all, we have now homeschooled for 9 years and know homeschooling very well. The first contact I had from the school district was a letter dated May 20, 2014, and what it said kind of made me mad.
So, I want to share some of the details of the Pennsylvania Homeschool Laws in hopes that it might help a homeschooler here know what needs to be done and what is overreach. I am taking the rules directly from the Pennsylvania Department of Education website. Just scroll down to the Home Education Program section. Please do! Don’t rely on what I type here! I am not a lawyer, nor is this legal advice. You need to know the law for yourself! There are a couple of other resources that I recommend: CHAP (Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania) and HSLDA.
I want to start with what I have listed as last on my list above: notarized affidavit and outline. This is last on my list as I am told that many homeschoolers drop this off with their portfolio every year. It is required before beginning to homeschool in the state and before August 1 every year. CHAP has an affidavit form available for use. CHAP also has forms for medical and dental examinations, but I don’t believe that the school district needs my children’s medical record on file. I personally use the affidavit and immunization form available for HSLDA members. The other thing due by August 1 is an
outline of proposed education objectives by subject area.
Then, the Pennsylvania Department of Education goes on to say,
The required outline of proposed education objectives shall not be utilized by the superintendent in determining if the home education program is out of compliance with this section and section 1327.
Now, this is pretty clear to me. Is it clear to you? To me, it sounds like the outline is not supposed to be used by the superintendent to say that our plans are out of compliance. So, let’s look at what the letter I received said…
Once again, student work plans need to be appropriate and specific for the individualized needs of each student so that it can be reasonably assumed that an appropriate home education program is being conducted.
So, what do you think about the above quote? I suppose maybe it was just poorly worded, but it seems to me that if my outline is not appropriate and specific enough, the school district may “assume” that the home education program is NOT appropriate. This doesn’t seem to align with the Pennsylvania Department of Education website, does it?
Well, let’s move on to the top of my list and the required days OR hours of instruction. I have not seen any discrepancy on this issue. Every website pretty much agrees that the requirement is 180 days OR 900 hours of instruction at the elementary level and 180 days OR 990 hours of instruction at the secondary level. The problem I find here is that their definition of elementary versus secondary is not the same as everywhere else. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education website (scroll down to transcripts), elementary is defined as K-6, and secondary is defined as 7-12. The link that I provided is the only place I have found this definition.
The required subjects are listed on the Department of Education’s website, and I have no conflict with them. It is nice to have a list of the minimum requirements for graduation, too. For the most part, it aligns with other places we have been.
Standardized testing is an area of contention for me. I get that some people live by these tests, but many children don’t do well on them just because of stress and the amount of pressure that comes from taking them. Nowadays, many schools teach TO the standardized testing, and this doesn’t always yield a well-rounded student. According to the Department of Education, standardized testing is required in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades. That is ALL. Now, let’s take a look at what my school district’s letter requires…
As a part of our record-keeping and reporting, we will be requesting to photocopy a few pages of your student’s portfolio, such as your affidavit, each student’s work plan and goals for the year, your third party evaluator’s signed report, a current writing sample or two, and required standardized testing results (grades 3, 5, 8, & 11), and any summary evaluations or grade reporting that you have included.
Whoa! Did you catch that? This school district just added a requirement that is not in the law nor on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website. Is this an oversight or an overreach?
So, I kind of covered the portfolio in the section above. I made copies from each of the core subjects: one copy from the beginning, one from the middle, and one from the end of the year. I also included reading lists, field trips, PA history, multi-media lists, and calendars with attendance days marked off. Before printing and binding my portfolios, I will add attendance hours. The portfolios are due by June 30 each year.
There are ONLY two deadlines listed in the Pennsylvania Homeschool Law. These dates are as follows: August 1 for the notarized affidavit with outline and June 30 for turning in the portfolios. There are NO other deadlines mentioned in the law that I can find. So, if your school district tries to give you different deadlines, I would definitely question and/or look for advice from homeschool support agencies. I know I would question if presented with additional deadlines.
One last thing… The law does allow for the school system to require additional information IF the school deems that a proper education is not taking place. If you read sections (i) – (m) under 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1 Home education program, you can see that there is a lengthy process if the school says a proper education is not occurring. So, what did my letter say?
Please remember, if there is documented reason to believe that an appropriate education is not commencing, the school district may require that you submit your student(s)’s portfolio evidence during the mid-point of the school term, typically during January. If this is applicable, you will be made aware of it in the beginning of the next school year.
I get that they have a legal recourse, but does this belong in what should be a friendly reminder to send in a portfolio? I don’t think so. I find this threatening in nature. I would hope not, but… The day my family moved into this house, I was warned our school district did not like homeschoolers. I also saw something today that really drives this home. I wish I could share it with you, but I can’t at this time because I received it second hand. I will be requesting my own copy when I turn in my portfolios later this week, so if they will actually give me one, I will share it with you, then. Of course, if they read this post, they might not want to share with me. 😉
The main point of this post is to know the law.
- Know what the school can ask for and what they can’t ask for.
- Get involved in legislation that will help homeschoolers! CHAP is keeping us up-to-date on what is transpiring with the PA HB 1013. We need this bill to pass, so the school districts can’t overreach! HB 1013 will remove the requirement to submit a portfolio to the school district. We would only need to submit our evaluator’s letter. This would also make sense for the state budget! Both of the portfolios I prepared today are probably close to 100 pages each. How long do you think it would take to properly review portfolios? It doesn’t make sense monetarily!
- Keep track of other legislation that will affect families. Have you heard about the UN treaty that is heading back to the Senate? If you are a parent of kids with special needs, you need to read about this treaty and how it may affect you!
If you are still with me, I still believe that homeschooling is the way to go, if you can. It is not for everyone, nor do I think everyone should homeschool. Even though, we homeschoolers sometimes have to fight for our rights, it is still worth taking the time to homeschool.
To my unnamed local school district… I know the homeschool laws. Do you?
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