Helpful hints for becoming a homeschooling family in Worcester

• First -- read the Charles and Brunelle legal decisions and know the law as it applies to homeschooling.  There are some excellent websites (AHEM and MHLA) that can help you understand what these court cases mean for you as a homeschooling parent.  It is crucial that you understand your rights and obligations before you start.  

• NEW as of August 2024 :  The old link to the Worcester Public Schools homeschool Plan procedure is no longer working.   A new homeschooling link can be found on the Enrollment page (here) 

  • • Here is the direct link to the homeschooling page for 2024-2025      https://www.worcesterschools.org/o/wps/page/homeschooling

    •  link for the Power Point Presentation on Homeschooling (the dates on this slide show have not been updated by WPS since summer 2023) 

    • There are links on their webpage to the old pdfs. Phone numbers on these pdfs may have changed. 

    • Link to District Policy for WPS.  https://z2policy.ctspublish.com/masc/DocViewer.jsp?doccode=IHBG&z2collection=worcester#z2Code_IHBG

    • Link to District Procedures from WPS  https://www.worcesterschools.org/o/wps/page/homeschooling-procedures

• There have been many changes to the WPS website over the summer of 2024 as well as to the Homeschooling page on WPS. Double check on their webpages for the most recent phone numbers in case things have changed again. 

• Every family has the right to homeschool in every town in Massachusetts, and that includes Worcester.  Homeschooling can begin as young as you wish, but you don't need to inform the city until age 6/first grade, which is the age of compulsory education.  In Worcester, first graders are children who will be 6 years old by December 31 of the calendar year they enter grade one.

• Make sure all your communication with the Worcester Public Schools is in writing and preferably by certified mail.  Save copies of all your communications with WPS, especially the mail receipts.  Document all your interactions.  Keep a log of phone calls.  

• Send your Educational Plan by certified mail. For additional security, get a return receipt.

Worcester Public Schools     

Department of Homeschooling 

 20 Irving Street 

 Worcester, MA 01609 

508-799-3663.  (Victoria Roman Ed.D from  summer 2024 WPS updated Homeschooling Page)

508 -799-3020  (Victoria Roman Ed.D from WPS staff directory 

: 508-799-3175  (Social Emotional Learning phone number from most recent pdf form on WPS website)

homeschoolplans@worcesterschools.net

• ** The Department of Homeschooling  was formerly included in the Child Study and the Office for Social Emotional Learning.

• All paperwork  should be sent to the Department of Homeschooling office.  (NOT the Superintendent's Office.)   Mail and emails sent to the Superintendent's Office is not always forwarded to the correct destination.

• Massachusetts requires prior approval before homeschooling, so plan as far ahead as possible. WPS request 14 days notice. 

• Follow up with the  Department of Homeschooling right away if you don't hear from WPS, and continue to check with them weekly until you receive a response.  If you have sent in an educational plan and there is no return answer, you can also appeal to the Worcester School Committee.  Find their email addresses here.  This is especially true if you are beginning to homeschool during the school year, after the start of school. Charles states that "parties are to proceed expeditiously to ... resolve the matter by agreement". (340)

• According to Charles, the School Committee can review or approve home education plans.  

• The Charles Decision (338) says that "If a  home school proposal is rejected, the superintendent must detail the reasons... Parents must be given an opportunity to revise their proposal to remedy its inadequacies."  

• The case law in Charles states that if the school authorities refuse to approve an educational proposal and the family begins homeschooling anyway, "the burden of proof ....shifts to the school committee to show that the instruction outlined in the proposal fails to equal in thoroughness and efficiency, and in the progress made therein, that in the public schools in the same town."  (Charles 338)  In other words, if a school does not approve the educational plan, parents can homeschool anyway.  The School Committee then must show that the education you provide at home is worse than the education given in the public schools.  However, it is preferable to get your approval first, because in the past few years there have been issues with assuming approval.

• After the submission of an educational plan, the WPS often call to request an in-person (or over the phone) with new homeschooling parents.  This is NOT required as is stated in Brunelle.  You may politely decline to meet, citing the Brunelle ruling.  (Brunelle [513] states  "...the requirement (for home visits)  is not essential to approval of the plaintiffs' home education plans.")  It is better to keep all communication in writing. The WPS plan states that the meeting is "optional".

• If there is any issue with the Educational Plan or end of year report, parents should ask for clarification of what the problem may be in writing.  Document everything.

• At the end of each school year, you must provide an end of year report on what your child has learned.  

Charles states that parents and school officials should agree on ONE method of evaluation and specify this method in the Educational Plan at the beginning of the school year. Specifically mentioned in Charles are: standardized testing, periodic progress reports or dated work samples,  or other means of evaluating the progress of the children, subject to the approval of the parents. (Charles 340).  In Worcester, this has, in the past, included narrative reports, report cards, and portfolios. One method means that school officials may not request work samples or testing in addition to a portfolio or progress report. One single method of evaluation is sufficient for reporting.  

• The End of Year Evaluation Narrative report should not be lengthy. One page, or maximum two pages, is sufficient. 

• The End of Year Evaluation is typically sent together with the Educational Plan for the following school year. We recommend sending them by certified mail and retaining the receipts.  The Worcester Public Schools usually request that the End of Year Evaluation as well as the new Educational Plan be submitted together before the end of the school year for fastest processing.  (See the WPS website for updated deadlines and processing time.)  The WPS website does offer electronic submissions. However their  submission form requires information that should be optional.

• You can send in your End of Year Evaluation before you have finished with all your curriculum.  And if you reach your goals earlier than planned, you can send it then. 

• If you have not heard from the Homeschooling department and you are awaiting approval to begin homeschooling and are new to homeschooling, begin checking with them weekly.  You can resubmit paperwork or call the Homeschooling Department and request an update on your status.  

• If you still have not heard, and  2-3 weeks (before June deadline) or 4-5 weeks (after the June deadline) have passed, contact the School Committee and inform them of the situation.

• Use "Courtesy Copy" (cc) when emailing the Superintendent, Homeschooling Department, Child Study or the School Committee if you feel you need to ensure accountability. Be sure  respondents don't drop the contacts when they reply. 

• Families that leave the public schools and begin homeschooling with approval sometimes find that they need to officially inform the school they left that they are now homeschooling. It appears that sometimes this information is not communicated internally. Better safe than sorry. 

• You do not need to be a teacher or to even have teaching experience to homeschool.  There are many different styles and approaches to homeschooling.  "School at home" is only one.  Explore your options before picking.  There are many inexpensive versions that do NOT require expensive and time consuming curriculums.