School District Operating Under Old Law

Home School Legal Defense Association assisted a member family in Georgia last week after the school district in which they live erroneously informed parents about legal requirements for homeschooling. In December, the school social worker/home school coordinator of Lumpkin County Schools in Dahlonega sent a letter to all parents conducting home study programs, telling them what they had to do to comply with state law. The letter cited legislation passed by the General Assembly of Georgia during its 2012 session. Being unsure about the contents of the letter received, an HSLDA member family forwarded it to HSLDA Senior Counsel Dewitt Black for review and advice.

The school official’s letter stated that parents needed to provide attendance records to the Georgia Department of Education and that they had to obtain a certificate of attendance from the department for a learner’s permit, driver’s license, work permit, or as needed for other purposes. Black replied on behalf of our member family and pointed out to the official that the law governing home study programs had again been amended during the 2013 legislative session with significant changes. Specifically, no longer are parents required to submit any attendance records to the department of education. Further, the parent or guardian now has the authority to execute any document required by law to evidence the enrollment of a child in a home study program, the student’s grades, or any other required educational information. This includes, but is not limited to, documents for purposes of verification of attendance by the Georgia Department of Driver Services in order to obtain a learner’s permit or driver’s license, documents relating to employment of minors, and any documents required to apply for state or federal public assistance. Finally, Black requested that the school official send parents a corrected version of the December letter setting forth the current legal requirements for home study programs.

Other HSLDA members who are unsure about the accuracy of information received from public school officials should contact us for assistance.

Protect Your Family

If you or someone you know is not a member of HSLDA, will you consider taking a moment today to join or recommend us? Your support for our work enables us to defend individual families threatened by government officials and protect homeschooling freedom for all. Join now.

Senior Counsel Dee Black answers questions and assists members with legal issues in Georgia. He and his wife homeschooled their children.

Courtesy HLSDA. Used with permission.

Publication date: January 22, 2014