Pennsylvania continues to be a hotbed of extra-legal activity.
During the age of sail, the “doldrums” were equatorial waters in the summer when ships would often be becalmed, sometimes for weeks at a time. The winds would die down, the heat would be unbearable, and thirst was often a major issue. You may have the end of summer, back-to-school doldrums, but we are certainly not becalmed! If HSLDA were a frigate, we would be exceptionally busy this August, unfurling all sails, running up our colors, and clearing the decks for action.
First, we began to field phone calls from multiple families in Pennsylvania’s Solanco School District who were perplexed over why the district was asking for more details about their objectives. We wrote a letter to remind the district that Pennsylvania law specifically prohibits school districts from calling a home education program into question because of the family’s stated objectives. Our friends at CHAP have put together a great resource of what Pennsylvania law says about objectives, including sample objectives that families can use, and we encourage you to check out their information here.
Tempest Over Information
Second, we have had numerous districts ask homeschool families to provide the district with a copy of the homeschool parent’s high school diploma or GED, or a child’s date of birth or grade. None of this information is required by law.
To see our response to some of these districts, please see the letter we sent to the superintendent of Salisbury-Elk Lick School District. We were pleased to get an email from the Salisbury-Elk Lick School District within minutes of receiving our letter, acknowledging the law.
Third, several school districts have asked homeschool families for proof of residency. West Branch Area School District even went so far as to send a letter to every homeschool family in the district stating that per the district’s “Business Manager,” every single homeschool family was required to provide proof of residency. “Therefore, please provide me with a copy of a recent utility bill as soon as possible,” the letter said.
Of course, families in Pennsylvania are not required to provide this information. The address of the home education program site on the notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration is sufficient. After we called the West Branch Area School District, the district backed down and promised they would no longer ask for proof of residency.
Hoist A Signal
Fourth and finally, we continue to see an increasing number of districts demanding “evidence” of immunizations and medical and dental care. Because the law in this area is grey, we recommend that if your district is asking for this information, you give our offices a call so we can discuss the options you and your family have.
As a homeschool graduate and homeschool dad, defending you and your family’s homeschool freedom is personal to me and to our team!
Will Estrada, Esq., is an attorney and homeschooling dad who works to make homeschooling possible for thousands of homeschool families.
