FAQ

May a district require parents to register their child in the public school if they plan to provide homeschool?
No. Parents are not required to register their child in the public school if they plan to provide homeschool. However, the parent, if requested, must demonstrate that the child resides within the school district and is of compulsory age.

May parents engage a tutor to provide homeschool?
Yes. Parents may engage the services of a tutor to provide homeschool for all or a portion of the homeschool program.

Must homeschool take place on days and during the times of day when school is in session?
Instruction at home is usually given within the general time-frame of the normal school day, but greater flexibility in scheduling is possible. For example, parents may choose to provide instruction on weekends or in the evening. The total amount of instructional time per week should be generally comparable to that of the public school.

May students instructed at home by their parents take part in non-credit-bearing organized school activities such as clubs, sports, and intramurals?
Commissioner's Regulation (CR) 135.4(c)(7) directs that a participant in interscholastic sports must be enrolled in the public school; CR 135.1 directs that a participant in intramurals must be enrolled in the public school; however, children educated other than at the public school may participate in school-sponsored club activities. 

May students instructed at home be allowed to use school facilities such as the library, career information center, and gymnasium?
Yes. Students may be allowed to use such school facilities provided that there is mutual agreement on the part of all involved parties.

Does a homeschool student earn high school credits for completing the course work specified in the IHIP?
Credit is given only by schools. It is recommended that when a home-instructed student transfers from a high school program into a school that the principal of the school award credit on the basis of assessment or evidence that the student has successfully completed the course work.

May a student instructed at home be awarded a local or Regents diploma?
No. A high school diploma may only be awarded only to a student enrolled in a registered secondary school who has completed all program requirements set by the Regents, the school or the district.

Is physical education required?
Yes. Every student must have a physical education program. Activities may differ but outcomes should be similar to those established for students in the public school.

Are parents instructing their children at home required to teach courses which involve education about substance abuse, AIDS, human sexuality and family planning?
Parents are required to provide health education at all grade levels. Section 804 of the Education Law requires that such health education include instruction to discourage the misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Section 135.3(b) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education requires that the elementary and secondary health education curriculum include age appropriate instruction concerning the nature, methods of transmission and methods of prevention of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Parents must address the topic of AIDS as a part of the required health instruction at least once in grades K-6, once in grades 7-8 and once in grades 9-12. Parents may include instruction on human sexuality and family planning as part of their children's health education, but are not required to do so.

When should parents inform the school district of their choice of a standardized test or alternative evaluation method?
No date is specified in the regulation but it is recommended that parents provide this information by the end of the third quarterly reporting period.

May a student instructed at home take Regents examinations?
Yes. If a request is made, school officials are encouraged to admit a student receiving home instruction to Regents examinations. If a Regents examination has a lab requirement, the student may be admitted to the examination if there is evidence that the student has met the lab requirement. The IHIP, quarterly reports and/or verification from the student's teacher can provide such evidence.
Regents examinations may only be administered at the public school or registered nonpublic school because they are secure examinations. The test results can be helpful to the student and also to public school officials.

May a parent administer a standardized test or prepare the written narrative of assessment?
Yes. With the consent of the superintendent, a parent may perform these actions.

What action should be taken by the district if parents do not submit any evaluation?
If phone calls or letters do not elicit the information, the district should notify parents by registered mail that the evaluation is due and set a reasonable date for its submission. If the information is not forthcoming, the district is without evidence that instruction has been taking place. In that case, the district would be obligated to report the case to the central registry as a case of suspected educational neglect.

If homeschool begins during the school year, when should parents schedule quarterly reports to the district?
The number of reports should be proportional to the period of home instruction. For example, if instruction begins at about the end the first reporting period in the public school, the parent would schedule three reports during the remainder of the year.