When a family in Bensalem Township School District decided to start homeschooling, they checked the law, filed their affidavit and objectives with the school district superintendent, and thought they were all set.

Unfortunately, an official with the school district decided to create another step for this family. The official sent the family a letter stating “I have received your affidavit for the 2024-2025 school year. Per our conversation … you’ll need to schedule an appointment with the registration office to register [your child] for the homeschool program.”

When our HSLDA member family contacted HSLDA to verify if this was required, we quickly saw this was an extra-legal mandate with a history. Bensalem Township School District has had a pattern of demanding that families “register” their children with the district. In fact, last year, HSLDA sent this same official a letter asking that they cease this practice.

After hearing from yet another member, HSLDA quickly sent an additional letter to the district, this time to the superintendent. Pennsylvania law is clear on what families must do—and “registration” of their children is not required. You can read that letter here.

Within a few days, the district reached out to us. After a cordial conversation, the district acknowledged that we were right, and that homeschool families do not need to complete a registration with the district (of course, if you are seeking something from the district, such as sports access, extra curriculars, or career and technical education, you may need to provide the district with additional information).

If your district asks for anything at all beyond what is required by Pennsylvania law, and you are an HSLDA member family, please contact our office right away. We will vigorously defend HSLDA member families from any attempt by a school district to ask for information beyond what is specifically required in Pennsylvania’s home education law.

Will Estrada, Esq. serves as Senior Counsel for HSLDA and contact attorney for HSLDA members in Pennsylvania. Will is a homeschool graduate from Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Rachel (a homeschool graduate from Virginia), have two sons, Dominic and Merrick, and live in Northern Virginia.