No Response from Superintendent

Q. I filed my NOI in early August and haven’t had a response yet from the superintendent’s office. Should I be concerned? A. There is no reason to be concerned. The superintendent is not required to send a response to parents who file a Notice of Intent, although most do respond as a courtesy. If you have complied with the law under §22.1-254.1, you can homeschool without having a response from the superintendent. Superintendents will sometimes wait until they receive a majority of the NOI’s, and then send a form letter to everyone at once. If this happens, it may be late September or early October before parents receive acknowledgement. Regrettably, some response letters use incorrect phrases such as, “Your homeschool has been approved,” or “You have permission.” Although this is an incorrect understanding of the statute, it will not affect your ability to homeschool. The letter should simply acknowledge receipt of your NOI. If you do not receive an acknowledgement letter, keep the signed, postal return/receipt card or a date-stamped receipt if you hand-delivered your NOI. In case they misplace your form, this will verify the date and time you notified the superintendent.