Warren County 7/29/23
Your HEAV school board monitor team identified two policies and regulations that were inconsistent with Virginia’s homeschool laws in several areas. Concerns included language that described a Notice of Intent as a request that is subject to approval or permission, a requirement for all parents to produce evidence of curriculum or enrollment in a correspondence course in English and mathematics, misrepresentation of the Virginia-certified tutor and religious exemption (RE) laws as home instruction, and a requirement for parents to submit annual requests for RE to the superintendent or designee in writing.
After working with the school board over several months, HEAV is pleased to share that all of these policies and regulations have been updated and are now consistent with the law. We are thankful to the school board for this positive resolution. HEAV would like to extend special appreciation to school board members Melanie Salins and Thomas McFadden for their hard work and dedication to the homeschool community in seeing this effort through to completion.
What You Should Know:
- Parents are required to comply with the Virginia Code.
- Public school policy is not law, but it should be consistent with the law.
Get Involved! Sign up for HEAV Communications so you can stay up-to-date on HEAV’s efforts to protect your homeschool freedom.
Resources:
- HEAV Resource: Compliance Cautions
- HEAV Resource: Law Flowchart
- HEAV Resource: 2024 Letter to Superintendents
- HEAV Resource: Information for School Personnel
- Warren County Policy: LBD – Home Instruction
- Warren County Regulation: LBD-R – Information on Home-Schooling in Warren County
- Warren County Policy: JEG – Exclusions and Exemptions From School Attendance
- Warren County Regulation: JEG-R – Release From Compulsory Attendance-Religious Beliefs
- Virginia Code: § 1-240.1, Rights of Parents
- Virginia Code: § 22.1-254, Compulsory Attendance Law
- Virginia Code: § 22.1-254.1, Home Instruction Law
- Virginia Administrative Code: 8VAC20-490-10, School Officials Familiarity with the Law
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.
Patricia Beahr
HEAV Director of Government Relations
NEWS ALERT
ATTENTION CARROLL COUNTY HOMESCHOOLERS: Several concerned parents contacted HEAV regarding a call from a local elementary school employee who indicated it was “required by the state” to set an appointment and take the Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System (VALLSS) test.
HEAV assures parents that this information is incorrect. Parents are not required to respond.
HEAV contacted the Assistant Superintendent. We are in agreement that this test is not required. It seems that these calls resulted from a misunderstanding that occurred on the local public school level. We have asked the district to communicate directly with the homeschool families who were contacted to provide correct information and resolve concerns.
For immediate assistance, please call the HEAV office at 804-278-9200. Ask for Patricia Beahr, HEAV’s Director of Government Relations.
