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Homeschool
Guidelines at a Glance
SCHOOL
AUTHORITY OVERSIGHT
Oversight of home education is a local
function in Massachusetts. Because there are nearly as many ways
to homeschool as there are homeschooling families, local oversight
enables school authorities to exercise discretion and flexibility
in evaluating home education plans and student progress. In using
their oversight function, school authorities may ask for certain
types of information (elaborated below), but they must remember
the limits established to protect parents' rights in determining
how their children will be educated.
"…the
approval of a home school proposal must not be conditioned on
requirements that are not essential to the State interest in assuring
that 'all the children shall be educated.'" (Charles)
"…the
State…cannot apply institutional standards to this non-institutionalized
setting." (Brunelle)
The
courts have emphasized consistently that parents and school authorities
should proceed cooperatively to "expedite approval."
(Charles, Searles, Ivan) In cases where differences cannot
be resolved cooperatively, the school authority assumes the burden
of proof in any subsequent legal proceedings.
RESPONSIBILITIES
OF SCHOOL AUTHORITIES AND PARENTS
SCHOOL
AUTHORITY'S RESPONSIBILITY
1. Enforce the compulsory attendance law (G.L c. 76 Sec. 1);
2. Expedite approval of home education plans that meet the statutory
standard.
PARENT'S
RESPONSIBILITY
1. Give prior notification to school authorities of their home
education plan, which equals the local public school's "in
thoroughness and efficiency," (Charles);
2. Comply with an evaluation program mutually agreed upon by school
and parents.
APPROVAL
AND EVALUATION
1. School officials may ask for information
regarding "qualifications of the parent or parents who will
be instructing the children," (Charles) but the parents
are not required to have any specific educational credentials.
"General Laws c. 71, Sec. 1, provides that teachers shall
be 'of competent ability and good morals.'" (Charles)
2.
School officials may inquire about subjects the child will study,
length of the homeschool year, and hours of instruction in each
subject. While school officials may consider hours of instruction
in each subject, they may not dictate the manner in which the
subjects will be taught. (Charles) In practice this means
that parents may calculate hours of instruction based on the manner
in which they homeschool, which does not have to replicate the
public school's offering, only equal it in "thoroughness
and efficiency." Additionally, following a schedule is not
an important consideration in a home school where "...the
perception and use of time... are different." (Brunelle)
3.
School officials may identify teaching materials, but "only
to determine subject and grade level… school officials may
not... use this access to dictate the manner in which the subjects
will be taught." (Charles) The Brunelle Court pointed
out that "…some of the most effective curricular materials…may
not be tangible. For example, travel, community service, visits
to educationally enriching facilities and places, and meeting
with various resource people, can provide important learning experiences
apart from the four corners of a text or workbook." (Brunelle)
4.
School officials and parents should agree on a method of evaluation
that may include one of the following approaches: standardized
testing, periodic progress report, or dated work samples. (Charles)
Home visits may not be required as a condition of approval. (Brunelle)
Back
to Homeschooling in Massachusetts
The
information on this website does not constitute legal advice;
it is provided for informational purposes only.
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