Rappahannock County 01/03/25
HEAV was contacted by a concerned parent regarding the approval language the district used on its Notice of Intent acknowledgment letter. Upon further review, HEAV also found that the district’s letter included the following inaccuracies: A statement that parents were required to attain a composite score on “a battery of achievement tests which have been approved by the Board of Education for use in public schools,” and information indicating that Evidence of Progress was required when students had completed their “12th grade curriculum.” To ensure parents are provided with accurate information on the homeschool law, HEAV reached out to the superintendent’s office with official correspondence.
HEAV is pleased to share that the district indicated they will update their Notice of Intent acknowledgement letter moving forward. We are thankful to Rappahannock for this positive resolution and its commitment to ensure correspondence is consistent with the Virginia Code.
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What You Should Know:
- Public school districts do not have statutory authority to approve a parent’s decision to provide home instruction, just as districts do not approve or grant permission to parents who enroll their child in a private school or have their child taught by a Virginia-certified tutor or teacher.
- Use of terminology that is inconsistent with the law—implying parents must make a request or receive approval to homeschool—can have serious consequences for parents and children, depending on the circumstance.
- The home instruction law requires parents to notify the superintendent of their intent to homeschool and provide evidence of their compliance. Upon receipt of a Notice of Intent, the superintendent ensures parents have complied with the home instruction law. Some superintendents provide a letter acknowledging compliance, but the law does not require them to do so.
- The home instruction law states parents may use “…any nationally normed standardized achievement test, or an equivalent score on the ACT, SAT, or PSAT test” when submitting evidence of progress.
- The compulsory attendance law is based on the age of a student—not a public school grade-level system or the completion of a parent-assigned homeschool program or curriculum.
- Homeschool evidence of progress is not required when the individual:
- is under the age of six as of September 30 of the school year;
- has reached his 18th birthday;
- has obtained a high school diploma;
- moves out of the public school district or state; or
- is complying with compulsory attendance through a different compliance option.
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
