Homeschooling Fact Check: Academic Credentials

This week we continue our Homeschooling Fact Check series in which we examine some of the most common questions we receive and some of the biggest myths about homeschooling in Massachusetts. If you have questions or topics you'd like to suggest for this series, you can email us at info@ahem.info.

Claim:

Districts cannot ask about parents’ academic credentials.

Reading the Law:

The Charles decision says that the superintendent or school committee may properly inquire as to the academic credentials or other qualifications of the parent or parents who will be instructing the children. (Charles at 339). However, it also says that certification would not appropriately be required for parents... [n]or must the parents have college or advanced academic degrees.

Verdict:

False. Although school districts cannot require parents to hold a certain degree or certification, they can ask about academic credentials.