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Sample Letter to Parent Regarding Home Schooling

(Issue on district letterhead.)

Date

Name

Address

City, State, ZIP

 

Dear Parent

 

This letter explains alternatives to the comprehensive public school classroom and our approach to ensuring that youths attend educational programs that will prepare them for their future. 

 

The California compulsory education law requires everyone between the ages of 6 and 18 to attend school, except 16- and 17-year-old teenagers who have graduated from high school or have passed the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE).  However, one legal alternative to the comprehensive public school classroom is to enroll your child in an independent study program through the local public school system or a charter school.  No teaching credential is required of parents who enroll children in an independent study program offered by a public school.  Private tutors, whether they are parents or not, must hold a valid, appropriate credential for the grade level being taught and must provide instruction in all the branches of study required by the public schools at least three hours per day between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. for 175 days per calendar year

 

Another legal exemption from public education would be to enroll your child in a private full-time day school.  The law requires private schools to file a Private School Affidavit, and the California Department of Education maintains a directory of private schools in the state.

 

If the local public school district or a charter school does not provide an alternative to classroom instruction, you may contact your county office of education to determine which suitable programs are offered in your area.

 

Our county operates a School Attendance Review Board (SARB) composed of representatives from various youth-serving agencies that can meet with you and your child to collaboratively recommend alternative solutions or identify resources to resolve problems related to school attendance.  As the supervisor of attendance for this area, I have the responsibility of ensuring that all compulsory school-age children are in attendance at a public school or are legally exempt.  I also verify that the local private schools have complied with the provisions of the Education Code required by the annual filing of the Private School Affidavit.  Please call me if you have further questions about the compulsory attendance laws.

 

Sincerely,

 

[Typed Name]

Supervisor of Attendance