Home Instruction

Parents of, or persons in parental relation to, compulsory school age children have the legal right to instruct their children at home. If a child is being educated at home, the local school district must be assured that the child is receiving instruction in certain required courses/subjects.

Parents who wish to home school their children must provide written notice of intent to the school district superintendent. The school district must then respond to the family and provide a copy of the home instruction regulations as well as an individualized home instruction plan (IHIP) form to complete. Parents are responsible for identifying the curriculum materials that they will use to instruct their children in the required subject areas.

Please review the home instruction regulations, which provide greater detail of the process described above and other home instruction requirements, and the Questions and Answers. Both links can be found to the right.

March 16, 2021

• Section 100.10(h) regarding annual assessment for students participating in a program of home instruction is amended to provide that due to the State of emergency declared by the Governor pursuant to an Executive Order for the COVID-19 crisis, students shall be exempt from the annual assessment and alternative evaluation requirements of this subdivision for the 2019-20 school year where a student otherwise achieves the learning outcomes in accordance with their IHIP. The Board of Regents extended this provision for the 2020-2021 school year. Additional information about the regulations is available on our website.

July 13, 2020 - Board of Regents Acts on Fourth Series of Emergency Regulations to Ease Burdens on Educators, Students and Professionals in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Program Deadline Extension: For the 2020-21 school year, the home instruction program deadline for submission of the written notice of intention to instruct at home is extended from July 1 until August 1, 2020.

June 3, 2020 - Board of Regents Acts on Third Series of Emergency Regulations to Ease Burdens on Educators, Students and Professionals in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Section 100.10(e) is amended to provide flexibility for the unit of study requirements for home instruction programs during the COVID-19 crisis, provided students meet the learning outcomes for the portion of the unit of study completed.
• Section 100.10(f) is amended to provide flexibility from the instructional day and/or hour requirements provided the home instruction program provides continuity of learning to students.
• Revision to April 4, 2020 amendment: These revised emergency regulations were adopted at the June BOR meeting to provide additional flexibility for the home instruction program annual assessment requirement. The revised amendment provides that due to the COVID-19 crisis, students shall be exempted from the annual assessment and alternative evaluation requirements for the 2019-2020 school year where a student otherwise achieves the learning outcomes in accordance with their individualized home instruction plan (IHIP).

April 6, 2020

• Section 100.10(h) regarding annual assessment for students participating in a program of home instruction is amended to provide that an alternative form of evaluation, in lieu of an annual assessment, shall be permitted for all grades in the 2019-20 school year due to the State of Emergency declared by the Governor pursuant to an Executive Order for the COVID-19 crisis. The Board of Regents today adopted emergency regulations to ease the burdens and provide important flexibility for educators, students, professionals and others to address interruptions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information regarding these emergency regulations is available on our website.