Homeschooling in Washington State: Option 1

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

27 Apr 2008 01:41 AM

This is not legal advice. As someone who lives in a state that is highly regulated, I cannot emphasize enough the need for you to advocate for yourself and make a point to know your state laws. While the school district will most likely provide you with a printed copy of the laws and regulations for home schooling, a local home schooling group can be a valuable asset when it comes to navigating your way through the system.

Compulsory Attendance: You are under compulsory attendance law from when your child turns 8 years old to when he turns 18.

Required Days of Instruction: Children are required to attend school 180 days or the equivalent of 1000 hours. Washington State law does note that the "nature and quantity of instruction and related education activities shall be liberally construed."

Required Subjects: Occupational education, science, math, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling and the development of an appreciation of art and music.

Homeschoolers have two options under Washington State educational code. The first is to qualify under the homeschool statute and the other is to operate as an extension of a private school. To homeschool legally in Washington State, parents must:

1. Provide to the child, a curriculum and "planned and supervised instructional and related educational activities."

2. Provide a number of hours of instruction equivalent to the program hours established for approved private schools.

3. Instruction may only be provided by a parent who is either:

a. instructing his child only and is supervised by a 'certificated person'. The certificated person must have a minimum of one contact hour per week every month with the family and the certified teacher and the parent plan the educational objectives

b. OR the parent is instructing his/her children only and has either forty-five college quarter credits or the equivalent in semester credits (approximately 30 semester credits).

c. OR is "deemed sufficiently qualified to provide home-based instruction by the superintendent of the local school district."

d. OR has completed a course in home-based education at a post-secondary institution or a vocational-technical institute.

4. Parents must file an annual signed declaration of intent to home school by Sept. 15 of each year "or within two weeks of the beginning of any public school quarter, trimester, or semester" with the local superintendent or with the superintendent of a nonresident district which accepts the home school student as a transfer student. This statement shall include the name and age of the child, shall specifify whether a certificated person will be supervising the instruction, and shall be written in a format prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction.

Check back soon for details on Option 2 and standardized testing requirements.

Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.

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Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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