Legal/Homeschool Laws

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.

State Laws

Read the laws regulating home education in Connecticut 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.

Forms

Which forms do you need to fill out? Where can you get them? Here is a list of useful forms for homeschooling in Connecticut.

Legal Support

If you need legal information or have run into a legal situation regarding your decision to homeschool, these resources will be helpful.

Lobbying Groups

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.

Attorneys

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.

Legal Issues

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?

Government Resources

A listing of local and state government resources, including your state's Department of Education, school districts, and Senate and House of Representative information.

What's Popular

Connecticut Homeschooling Guidelines

This is a listing of the guidelines issued by the Connecticut Department of Education regarding how they think the home education laws should be implemented.

How to Comply with Vermont's Homeschool Law

Vermont law specifically refers to homeschooling in 16 V.S.A. § 11(a)(21) and 16 V.S.A. § 166b. To homeschool under this statute, you’ll need to follow these guidelines. Necessary steps include sending in a written enrollment notice, submitting a narrative describing the content to be provided in each subject area, obtaining acknowledgement of compliance, teaching the required subjects and assessing your child annually.

How to Withdraw Your Child from School in Vermont

If you want to start homeschooling during the school year and your child is currently enrolled in a public or private school, HSLDA recommends that you formally withdraw your child from that school. If you are going to start homeschooling after the school year is over, and your child is considered enrolled for the following year, we recommend that you withdraw your child before the next school year begins, so that the school does not mark your child as absent or truant.

Connecticut Statute, Chapter 168, Section 10-184, 10-184a, 10-184b

The following are Connecticut Statues relating to home education: Section 10-184 (School Attendance and Employment of Children--Duties of Parents. School attendance age requirements.); Section 10-184a (Refusal of certain parents to consent to use of special education programs or services.); Section 10-184b (Waiver provisions not applicable to equivalent instruction authority of parents.)

Connecticut Home School Laws

The Home School Legal Defense Association provides a brief summary of the homeschooling laws in Connecticut. Includes a link to a legal analysis of laws relating to homeschooling in Connecticut.

Connecticut Attorneys Helping Homeschoolers

Where to find legal advice in Connecticut. Homeschooling families can find contact information for several attorneys around the state who work with homeschoolers.

Connecticut State Department of Education

The website for the Connecticut Department of Education (DOE).

Ralph D. Sherman, Attorney at Law

130 West Main Street New Britain, CT 06052 860-229-0213 This small law firm in New Britain, CT, offers advice and representation for homeschooling families.

An Act Concerning Revisions to the Education Statutes (94-245)

An Act Concerning Revisions to the Education Statutes (94-245) contains the following provisions: Special Education and Private School or Home Schooling. The act exempts students from the state's special education requirements, if their parents or guardians provide equivalent instruction at home or in a private school and refuse to consent to special education services for their children. Limitation on Commissioner's Waiver Authority. The act prohibits the education commissioner from waiving a...

An Act Concerning The Mandatory School Attendance Age (Public Act No. 00-157)

Public Act No. 00-157 (Mandatory School Attendance Age) changed the age under which a child is subject to compulsory attendance from sixteen to eighteen, effective July 1, 2001.

Law & Policy

In Connecticut there are two things homeschoolers need to understand; the law, and the Guidelines. The two sometimes cause confusion for people, and sometimes the Guidelines are mistaken for being law, but they are not law. The Guidelines are part of the Suggested Procedure on Home Instruction in CT. This analysis includes information on state laws, state guidelines, sample forms, and more.

Compulsory School Age in Vermont

The laws in Vermont state that you must enroll your child in school from the day he or she turns 6 years old until he or she turns 16. This HSLDA article details the Vermont state compulsory school age regulations.

The Seduction of Homeschooling Families

Do the public school authorities feel threatened by homeschooling? Judging by their efforts to lure homeschooling families into dependence on local school districts, the answer is apparently yes.

Connecticut Homeschool Laws and Procedures

Summary of the laws pertaining to home education in Connecticut. Includes text of the laws and state Board of Education guidelines.

Notice of Intent: Filing Is Voluntary

The State Department of Education's C-14 Guidelines give two different messages -- in the Introduction and elsewhere it reads, "Suggested Procedure" and in section 3 it reads, "parents must file..." To add to the confusion, school officials often give misleading or false information when parents ask about homeschooling. Because the wording of the Guidelines is inconsistent and poorly written, school officials and parents may be unsure of their responsibilities and their rights.

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Featured Resources

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The Outdoor Life of Children: The Importance of Nature Study and Outside Activities (Charlotte Mason Topics - Volume 2

The methods of Charlotte Mason are popular among homeschoolers. She includes nature study as a crucial element. This work explores the idea of the outdoors as a classroom for children, and gives tips on ways of teaching the sciences, history, literat...

Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home

This book is not about "school at home"--it is about something better. It is about Real Learning. Homeschooling pioneer Charlotte Mason wrote with great wisdom about providing young minds with a living books education. She urged teachers to present g...

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