HEAC: Meeting Attachment #1, September 15, 1998

Logo New Hampshire Homeschooling Resources

(on NH DOE letterhead)

To: Superintendents
Heads of Non-public Schools

From: Rachel P. Hopkins (initialled RH)
Administrator

Subject: Home Education Advisories

Date: August 12, 1998

1. EVALUATION CLARIFICATION: Public school districts MAY NOT charge for annual home education evaluations for students who reside in their district and for whom the district acts as participating agency. Local districts MAY NOT decline being a participating agency.[Ed193-A:4(II) and ED315.04] Non-public schools are NOT required to act as a participating agency and MAY charge for services. It is suggested that the annual evaluation be negotiated so that the circumstances are agreeable to both the school and the parent and that all the requirements of evaluation are met. [Ed 315.06]

2. PROGRAM DURATION: August 1 is the day that all home education programs end. Annual notification of intent to home educate *must* occur on the day a program begins or before the program begins. [Ed 315.03(a) ] It is the parents responsibility to cause any child between 6 and 16 to attend school. [Ed 193:1 ]. The letter of intent should therefore be received no later than the first day of school, or the student should be enrolled in public or non-public school. If the parent has not notified the district of intent to homeschool, the district's by-laws governing truancy [ see Ed 193:16 and 189:36]should govern, not the Home Education laws and rules.

3. ANNUAL COUNTS: In an effort to reduce redundancy in reporting for districts and tracking for the Department, the October 1st count for Bureau of Informational Services is the only count you will need to submit. Form A 12 C, General Fall Report for public schools and General Fall Report for Non-public SchoolForm A 12 C for non public schools will satisfy the reporting requirement for Ed 194:31, [Ed 189:42, Ed 189:28.] You will no longer need to submit to the Department the complete information; only the count will be required on the reporting forms of Bureau of Informational Services. *However*, home educated students' information should be maintained by the participating agency and registers should reflect the count and names of home educated students.

4. LATEST RULES AND LAWS: The 1996 Revision of Ed 315 and Ed 193-A are available by contacting Angie Lebel at 271-3188. The rules are also available on the web at http://199.92.250.14/rsa/T15/C193A/INDEX.HTM and, after an update during which the website is down, at http://www.state.nh.us/doe/education.html.

5. IMMUNIZATION: Unless a home educated student will be participating in school activities regulary, you do not need to have an immunization certificate on file. Religious or medical exemptions are also allowed for home educated students.

If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Hopkins at 271-3582

C:\MSOFFICE\Home Education\he clarification student count.doc

Document source: New Hampshire Department of Education, hardcopy.