Some public schools are telling parents they can’t withdraw their children to homeschool or aren’t following the TEA guidelines for withdrawal.
On July 7, the state released guidelines for what the 2020-2021 public school year would look like with COVID-19 precautions in place.
As a result, many parents withdrew their children to homeschool. In July, THSC saw a 1,500 percent increase in the number of withdrawals we helped process.
Homeschooling Rises Along With Schools Pushing Back
As withdrawals increased, so did the reports of schools not following the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) long-standing policy on how public school districts are to handle families withdrawing to homeschool.
The TEA guidelines for withdrawing from public school are:
- Notify the school via email or letter that you are withdrawing your child to homeschool.
- Keep your child home from school on the day after withdrawing them and begin homeschooling.
- If the school asks for further information or asks you to sign any forms, send an assurance email instead.
Some schools required new homeschool parents to jump through hoops not required by the TEA or even told families that they could not withdraw at all from public school due to COVID-19.
Additionally, some schools sent withdrawal forms containing threatening verbiage that were not required by TEA. Some districts were even sending officers to the homes of families who had withdrawn.
On August 21, 2020, THSC sent a notice to 9,500 school and district administrators in every Texas public school and school district reminding them of the proper policy for withdrawing a student to homeschool according to the TEA policy.
Schools cannot legally keep students from withdrawing, force families to withdraw in person rather than by letter or email, or require that unnecessary forms be signed by families who have already properly withdrawn.
THSC and its members stand ready to continue serving the thousands of new Texas homeschool families who have taken the bold step of bringing the education of their children into their homes.
Join thousands of homeschool member families today and get support for your journey!
Some public schools are telling parents they can’t withdraw their children to homeschool or aren’t following the TEA guidelines for withdrawal.
On July 7, the state released guidelines for what the 2020-2021 public school year would look like with COVID-19 precautions in place.
As a result, many parents withdrew their children to homeschool. In July, THSC saw a 1,500 percent increase in the number of withdrawals we helped process.
Homeschooling Rises Along With Schools Pushing Back
As withdrawals increased, so did the reports of schools not following the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) long-standing policy on how public school districts are to handle families withdrawing to homeschool.
The TEA guidelines for withdrawing from public school are:
- Notify the school via email or letter that you are withdrawing your child to homeschool.
- Keep your child home from school on the day after withdrawing them and begin homeschooling.
- If the school asks for further information or asks you to sign any forms, send an assurance email instead.
Some schools required new homeschool parents to jump through hoops not required by the TEA or even told families that they could not withdraw at all from public school due to COVID-19.
Additionally, some schools sent withdrawal forms containing threatening verbiage that were not required by TEA. Some districts were even sending officers to the homes of families who had withdrawn.
On August 21, 2020, THSC sent a notice to 9,500 school and district administrators in every Texas public school and school district reminding them of the proper policy for withdrawing a student to homeschool according to the TEA policy.
Schools cannot legally keep students from withdrawing, force families to withdraw in person rather than by letter or email, or require that unnecessary forms be signed by families who have already properly withdrawn.
THSC and its members stand ready to continue serving the thousands of new Texas homeschool families who have taken the bold step of bringing the education of their children into their homes.
Join thousands of homeschool member families today and get support for your journey!
