Complying with government regulations

This is a post in a series of 31 Days of Minimalist Homeschooling. See the intro post with all the topics here. 

I apologize for my lack of a post yesterday! I had an appointment with the Perinatologist which took all morning, and then I got a headache that didn’t leave until today. I’ll try to catch up. 🙂

One of the first concerns a new homeschooler has is how to make sure they comply with government regulations.  Most homeschoolers aren’t trying to be rebels and do wish to comply with the law, although exactly how those are interpreted is sometimes a matter of debate. The laws vary by state: here is a handy site with links to all the state homeschooling laws.

The first thing to do, of course, is to familiarize yourself with the laws in your state . I think it’s a good idea to be able to more or less recite them. While it isn’t common, sometimes homeschooling parents are harassed by child protective services, and it’s wise to know exactly what information you are required to give to them, or to a truant officer, and what you don’t.

If you’re confused as to how to structure your school so that you’re in compliance with the law, ask some veteran parents in your local homeschool group how they handle this, or post your question on a busy message forum for homeschooling parents (for instance, the forums at Well Trained Mind are extraordinarily busy and you’re likely to find a wealth of information there if you post or search the archives).

Personally, I prefer to keep record keeping as simple as possible. In harmony with the theme of “minimalism”, I only keep one yearly progress report on each child, as well as a copy of the tests they are required to take every 3 years. But I know parents who keep nearly every bit of work their children do in case they need to prove it to someone. Whatever your comfort level is, respect it.