Nottoway County 1/4/25
In October, several concerned parents contacted HEAV regarding letters they received from the superintendent’s office indicating a truancy investigation would begin if they were unable to produce archived proof of compliance with the home instruction law by the end of the month. As an immediate response, HEAV posted a priority alert on social media, assisted each parent individually, and sent official correspondence to the district expressing our strong opposition to this action. We then proceeded to work with the district over the next several weeks to seek a prompt resolution for parents.
The district’s initial effort was to hold parents responsible for its own lapse in duty to maintain office files and properly implement and enforce the law in a thorough and timely manner. However, as the district received our correspondence and parents submitted proof of their compliance with the law, the district apologetically recognized its error and chose to change course. We are pleased to share that, instead of reporting parents to truancy, the district advised they have now properly investigated each situation, and concerned parents have received a resolution in writing.
We are thankful to Nottoway for this positive response and for its dedication to the law and to the families it serves.
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What You Should Know:
- It is essential for parents to retain proof of compliance with the home instruction law and to document and save all correspondence (email, phone, etc.) with public school districts.
- HEAV encourages parents to make a copy of their Notice of Intent (NOI) and evidence of progress and retain proof of the office’s receipt. Proof of receipt is a certified mail receipt, a time-date stamp from an email, or a dated signature confirming hand-delivered documents.
- Truancy cannot be assumed when a district has not received a NOI or evidence of progress. It is the district’s responsibility to investigate each circumstance in a thorough and timely manner—at the time of occurrence—to ensure Virginia’s education laws are being implemented and enforced properly.
- The law does not require parents to contact their superintendent when they are no longer homeschooling. However, parents may choose to do so, as a courtesy, to assist the superintendent’s office in keeping its records updated.
HEAV is always available should you ever have questions or need assistance. Please contact us anytime at 804-278-9200 or via our contact form.
Read more about school district incidents here.
Patricia Beahr
HEAV Director of Government Relations
