Suggestions For Home Education Notification

• The age for compulsory attendance in the state of Ohio is between six and eighteen years old. If your child has never been enrolled in school you can proceed to notify your school district of your intention to have your child/children attend your homeschool instead of theirs. You are not asking for their permission or their approval. You are simply notifying them of your intention to homeschool and asking to be excused from compulsory attendance. Please check with your school district with in which you reside for their cutoff date for six year olds. Some school districts require that you notify if your child will be six years old by September 30th . Other districts require you notify if your child will be six by August 1st. ORC 3321.01 Compulsory school age

• There is no deadline for filing notification. It is customary, however, to notify by the first day of school in the district where you reside. If your child is not enrolled in any school or you have not yet notified by the first day of school, your child may be considered truant.

• Read and become FAMILIAR with the state regulations. As intimidating as they may sound, the regulations are not complicated. The more familiar you become with the regulations, the better able you will be to educate school districts about your rights. The Ohio Administrative Code safeguards a parent’s rights to provide home education for their children.
  For more information on the Ohio Administrative Code: Ohio Administrative Code
  For more information on the Ohio Revised Code: Ohio Revised Code

• If you live in a “City” or “Exempted Village” you notify the superintendent of the “City” school district or “Exempted Village” school district. If you live in any other school district you notify the county superintendent within the county you reside. It is recommended that you make copies of everything you will send to the superintendent. Mail the original documents to your superintendent. For peace of mind you may choose to send your documents by “certified mail return receipt requested”. By using certified mail, you protect yourself from any accusation of not having sent proper notification. Keep the receipt with your copies. OAC 3301-34-03

• Within 14 days, the Superintendent is required by law to notify you in writing stating that your documents are in order and your child is excused from compulsory attendance. OAC 3301-34-03
  • If you do not receive a letter of compliance and an excuse from compulsory attendance with in the 14 day period from your superintendent, you are excused from compulsory attendance. Follow up, in writing, by requesting your excuse from compulsory attendance.

  • If you receive a letter stating that your notification is insufficient and a request that you supply more information than is required by law, you have 14 days within which you can reply to the superintendent. Examples of more information than is required by law are: grade level, previous school district attended, the education level of the home teacher beyond high school, copies of diplomas, subject matter, materials and or curriculum intended to use. The list of subjects specified in the 3301-34-03(5)(6)(7) of the Administrative Code is enough information for the superintendent and does not need to be expanded upon in order to receive an excuse from compulsory attendance. Any additional information you provide is for informational purposes only.

• You do not need to use any of the forms provided by the school district. Administrators sometimes ask for information exceeding that required by law. You may submit a letter or you may use a Home Education Notification Form that was created by the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Columbus at the Ohio Department of Education. OAC 3301-34-03

  Sample Letter (Date) (Your Address) (Name and address of Superintendent including the school district) Dear (Superintendent’s Name), This is the notification of our intention to homeschool our child/children, (child’s name) (child’s birth date) for the (year) school year. We will provide a minimum of 900 hours of home education during this year using the following intended curriculum and resources. My husband and I will both be educating (child’s name), and we both hold high school diplomas. The curriculum for (child’s name) will cover: A) Language, reading, spelling, and writing B) Geography, history of the United States and Ohio; and national, state, and local government C) Mathematics D) Science E) Health F) Physical education G) Fine arts, including music, and H) First aid, safety, and fire prevention The resources we tentatively plan to use (but are not limited to) are as follows: (Some homeschoolers list many of their text books in this section, name the curriculum and grade levels they plan to use, and/or list the basic materials they plan to use with no specifics). We have included for your records the forms evaluating (child’s name) previous year of homeschooling. We will provide an academic assessment report at the end of this school year. Sincerely, (Parent’s name)

  Sample: Home Education Notification Form 3301-34-02 Statement of Purpose The purpose of the rules in this chapter is to prescribe conditions governing the issuance of excuses from school attendance under section 3321.04 of the Revised Code, to provide for the consistent application thereof throughout the state by superintendents, and to safeguard the primary rights of parents to provide the education for their child(ren). Home education must be in accordance with law. 3301-34-03 Notification A parent who elects to provide home education shall supply the following information to the superintendent. TYPE=1 use numeric character School year for which notification is made; Name of parent; Address; Telephone Number Name, address, and telephone number (telephone number optional) of person(s)who will be teaching the child the subjects set forth in paragraph (A)of this rule, if other than the parent: Full name and birthdate of child to be educated at home: ___ Assurance that home education will include the following, except that home education shall not be required to include any concept, topic, or practice that is in conflict with the sincerely held religious belief the parent; (a) language, reading, spelling, and writing (b) geography, history of the United States and Ohio; (c) mathematics; (d) science; (e) health; (f) physical education; (g) fine arts, including music; and (h) first aid, safety, and fire prevention. ___Brief outline of the intended curriculum for the current year. Such outline is for informational purposes only. List of: ___ textbooks, ___ correspondence courses,, ___ commercial curricula, or, ___ other basic teaching materials that the parent intends to use for, home education. (Such a list is for informational purposes only.) ___Assurance that the child will be provided a minimum of nine hundred hours of home education each school year. ___Assurance that the home teacher has one of the following qualifications: (a) a high school diploma (b) the certificate of high school equivalence (c) standardized test scores that demonstrate high school equivalence (d) other equivalent credential found appropriate by the superintendent (e) lacking the above, the home teacher must work under the direction of a person holding a baccalaureate degree from a recognized college until the child’s or children’s test results demonstrate reasonable proficiency or until the home teacher obtains a high school diploma or the certificate of high school equivalence. The parent(s) shall affirm the information supplied with his or her signature prior to providing. __________________ ___________________ (your signature) (date)

  
  
  
  
  
  Questions #6 and #7 on the notification form are FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. You cannot be denied an excuse from compulsory attendance based on your answers to these questions.
  All questions with a box next to them on the form, require only a check mark in the box. You do not need to include any information not specifically ask for (e.g.- high school diploma, GED-no need to specify)
  Sample Answers to #’s 6 & 7 on Home Education Notification Form
  #6. Brief outline of intended curriculum for the current year.
  Some people choose to use the outline of coursework provided in the curriculum they are using or even just a copy of the grade level outlines provided in a Typical Course. Others opt for more specific or more vague answers, sometimes including their statement of faith. The following answers are totally acceptable, frequently used answers to the brief outline question.
  • We intend to cover all of the typical requirements for the average ____grader, and the average____grader, and more, incorporating all the subjects mentioned in #5, and using every opportunity education for both of them.

  • The subjects listed in #5 will be covered in an integrated manner. For example, the study of Ohio History might include: reading World Book section on Ohio, reading books on Ohio History from the public library, visiting major historic sites around the state, going to Metro park presentations on the history of the state, a study of the birds of Ohio, a discussion on the science and mathematics involved in building bridges across the Mammee River or skyscrapers in Toledo, or visit to a Jeep or Davis-Basse. As you can see the ways of covering the required areas are limitless.

  • Unlike public schools and some home education families, we do not decide in advance what we will cover over the course of the year. We have made assurance in section #5 that the required areas will be covered and in #8 that a minimum of 900 hours of home education will occur.

  #7 Abbreviated List Of Material to be used: Some homeschoolers list all of their textbooks in this section, or sometimes even the name of the curriculum and grade levels they are using. A list of basic material with no specifics is also acceptable. A list of possible resource materials: Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Newspaper and magazine subscription, Library loan materials, Extensive home library material, Multimedia resources including but not limited to videotapes, cassettes, software, Home computer and Internet access, Family activities, Church activities, Scout activities, 4-H, Drama Club, Field trips, pen pals, games, pets, art supplies, musical instruments etc.,Community Resources -fine arts, physical education, county fairs, volunteer work, Home School Support Group activities and more . . .obviously this list can never be complete.
  For more complete information about the Ohio Administrative Code and Notification Process check out these websites: ~ Back To Index ~