Imagine yourself sitting at your kitchen table, sipping on your caffeinated beverage of choice, looking forward to the day because you felt at ease with the decisions you have made regarding your children’s education. This scene might feel like an impossibility but take a deep breath because we are here to walk you through the process of legally homeschooling in Washington State.
Before we begin with the legalese, let’s take a moment to remember life changes that are meaningful can feel a bit challenging at the beginning because it is new but it is always worth the extra effort. A new exercise program, clean eating, even marriage is work but the benefits always outweigh any obstacles you might face. Ok, are you ready to get your ducks in a row so you can sigh a bit of relief and really focus on making your daily homeschool journey a success?
First and foremost, Why do we even have to report to the state about our educational choices? It is actually very simple, the compulsory education law states that all children ages 8-18 must attend school with some exceptions. Thankfully, homeschooling is one of those exceptions but the state wants to account for each child to make sure the laws are being upheld. Along with our green landscape, majestic mountains and interesting coastlines our nonevasive homeschool laws are another blessing about living in Washington. Compared to other areas in the US and the world, our laws are very reasonable and easy to follow. Generations before us fought valiantly to secure our right to choose to homeschool our children so if everyone tries to abide by the laws set before us, it benefits not only our generation, but the generations to come.
Let’s get to the details! Below are the first steps you need to take based on the age of your children and their previous educational experience:
-If your child is less than 8 years old and has never been formally enrolled in school, you are considered educationally free and you can and should file nothing with the local school district.
-If your child is less than 8 years old and has attended public school, you will need to communicate in writing your wish to formally withdrawal to the principal of your child’s school. Do not turn in a Declaration of Intent to the school district until your child’s 8th birthday. Don’t overthink this, simply say, Dear (principal), I wish to withdraw (students names) from (school) starting (date you wish to withdraw). Sincerely, (your name)
-For children 8-18 that have never entered the public school system, you will need to turn in a Declaration of Intent to Homeschool each school year by September 15th.
-If your child 8-18 years old and is currently enrolled in a public school program, you will need to send a formal withdraw letter to your principal AND submit a DOI to your local school district. For an iron clad paper trail, send your DOI registered mail with a return receipt. File the receipt away when you get it back with your other homeschool paperwork. You can also go to the district to turn in your form and ask for a photocopy of the signed form or date stamp that you turned it in. Most districts will also send a follow up email confirming the DOI has been processed. Always keep a copy of your DOI on file.
It is always best practice to use the Washington Homeschool Organization DOI form as it releases only the information dictated necessary by law to your local district. The WHO is a wonderful resource for the homeschoolers of Washington State.
We love checklists here at Cedar Hill Academy so we created a quick and easy one for you to use to make sure you have all of your t’s crossed and your i’s dotted! Please do not hesitate to reach out for clarification or ask any questions you might have. You’ve got this!
In this post we talked in detail about two of the five points on our checklist. Coming up next is all about the parent qualification options so stay tuned! If you want to make sure to stay up to date and get the upcoming articles delivered to your inbox, sign up below. Happy learning!
