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Whereas the pioneers of the modern homeschooling movement in Wisconsin worked together despite their differences to ensure that the Wisconsin Legislature passed a reasonable homeschooling law that recognized the right of families to choose for their members an education consistent with their principles and beliefs; and Whereas homeschoolers have organized themselves as Wisconsin Parents Association (WPA) to watch and protect their parental rights in education, especially homeschooling rights and responsibilities; and Whereas we cannot assume that freedoms and laws will continue in perpetuity once they are established and recognized, instead they must be continually safeguarded; and Whereas it is easy
When it comes to homeschooling in Wisconsin, we all are where we are today because of the tireless work of the volunteers who came before us. The following timeline of major WHPA milestones is just the tip of the enormous iceberg that is WHPA’s invaluable historic and ongoing work to secure, preserve, and protect the rights of homeschooling families in Wisconsin. Working together through WHPA (formerly WPA), homeschoolers in Wisconsin have reclaimed and maintained basic freedoms in education and family life.
WHPA helps thousands of homeschooling families to discover ways in which homeschooling can work for them. WHPA
Download a PDF of this statement
March 8, 2021
WHPA RESPONSE TO AB122 (2021): PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO CREATE MICROSCHOOLS IN WISCONSIN
Introduction and History
Wisconsin Assembly Bill 122 (AB122) proposes to create an entirely new class of private schools in Wisconsin, called microschools. As proposed, microschools are programs of educational instruction that can be provided by anyone, anywhere, to any group of children, as long as the group consists of two to five family units and no more than twenty children. Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association (WHPA) has serious concerns about the proposed definition and regulation
Here are things we can do to maintain our freedoms. They require understanding and a strong commitment, but except in the time of a crisis, they do not require much time or money. They provide important learning opportunities for us and our children. And they help us discover how to maintain freedoms in other areas of our lives as well.
Click on each of the following Ten Principles to learn more.
1. Know what Wisconsin’s homeschooling law says, what it does and does not require, and how it is interpreted and enforced.
Get to
Please read the information on this page carefully and completely.
If you are considering homeschooling due to a crisis (such as illness outbreaks), first know your district’s policies or plans, such as holding classes online for a period of time. Homeschooling is not generally considered a temporary or short-term fix to short-term crises like epidemics. Rather, homeschooling is an educational choice to be taken in view of the full picture of your child’s educational needs and your family’s beliefs. Your child can be enrolled in only one educational program at a time,
Whereas public e-schools are public schools that are located in homes by means of a computer and the requirements and oversight of federal and state governments; and Whereas these schools are often called homeschools and the public will undoubtedly view them as homeschools; and Whereas these public schools require state and federal testing of students; and Whereas such schools are required to meet federal and state standards; and Whereas such tests and standards will dictate the curriculum of the schools; and Whereas state and federally mandated curriculums eliminate any real choice in how an actual homeschool could have an education
Whereas since the publication in 1983 of A Nation at Risk, a federal report on the status of education in the US, there has been an increasing push by both Democrats and Republicans to reform public education from the top down through federal goals, standards, testing requirements, reporting, and monitoring of children and families; these federal initiatives include Goals 2000, America 2000, No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and now Common Core State Standards; and Whereas the US Constitution gives no authority to the federal or state governments in the area of education; and Whereas the US Code
Whereas public school administrators and officials are contacting homeschoolers through surveys, invitations to public meetings, and other announcements in an effort to bring homeschoolers into the public schools; and Whereas private companies in conjunction with public schools are marketing public e-schools to homeschoolers; and Whereas although homeschoolers come from all walks of life, homeschool for a number of different reasons, and use a variety of curriculums and approaches to education, they all have one thing in common, namely, their determination to preserve the right to choose for their children an education consistent with their beliefs and principles; and Whereas homeschoolers
I got a letter asking me to complete a census/bring my child in for a screening/provide the names and birthdates of my children.
You do not have to provide any information in
Download a PDF of this Action Alert
WHPA’s Board of Directors issued a statement to you, our members, last week regarding the proposed bill to create so-called “microschools” in Wisconsin, AB 122 / SB 201. If you have not yet read this statement, please read it here: https://www.homeschooling-wpa.org/wiki/march-8-2021-response-to-ab122-2021/ WHPA has been monitoring the creation and progress of these bills through the legislative process. The bills now have sponsors in both the Assembly and the Senate and there will be a public hearing on the Assembly bill this week on Thursday, March 18. WHPA is asking our
IMPORTANT: The Department of Public Instruction only keeps PI-1206 forms for 7 years. As the administrator of your homeschool, you are responsible for keeping a copy of every form PI-1206 you file. That is your proof of compliance with Wisconsin homeschooling law. If you homeschool through the high school years it is very important that you have copies of all PI-1206 forms for those years. Colleges and employers often ask for a diploma and the 4 high school years of the PI-1206. The PI-1206 is proof of your compliance with Wisconsin state homeschooling laws.
Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association is the only state-wide, inclusive, non-partisan, grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the right and freedom of parents to provide an education to their children according to their own principles and beliefs. By registering for and/or participating in a WHPA virtual event, you agree to the following:
Zoom is free for you to download and use on just about any kind of computer, tablet, phone, or device. Please click here to download Zoom and learn how to join and participate in a webinar before your session.
All WHPA materials
WHPA does not currently have any Virtual Events scheduled.
Whereas in the United States the distinction between public and private schools has always been maintained; and Whereas this distinction ensures freedom of choice in education including the freedom not to be subject to any doctrinaire ideology, state religion, or monopoly in education; and Whereas the United States constitution does not grant to the state any authority in education and the states have only quite recently passed compulsory school attendance laws which are based only on the U. S. constitution’s policing powers granted to the states; and Whereas the Wisconsin Department Public of Instruction has authority over public and not
Whereas homeschoolers have regained significant freedom of thought and belief by working to establish and maintain their independence as private schools; and Whereas many of the educational reform initiatives authorize the state to have a greater role in public education and, through choice initiatives, certain private schools; and Whereas many of these reforms such as Goals 2000, Outcome-Based Education programs, performance-based assessment, school choice and voucher programs, charter schools, and distance learning programs are state programs and involve state goals and assessments and begin at very early ages; and Whereas the state goals and assessments apply to a student’s intellectual,
Whereas Wisconsin statutes state that, “‘Home-based private educational program’ means a program of educational instruction provided to a child by the child’s parent or guardian or by a person designated by the parent or guardian. An instructional program provided to more than one family unit does not constitute a home-based private educational program.” (s. 115.001[3g]); and Whereas a homeschool in Wisconsin is a private school that is limited to one family unit; and Whereas a national homeschooling organization based outside of Wisconsin has informed some homeschoolers in Wisconsin that they can disobey this part of the statutes by using a
Whereas there now exist national and state education plans and goals known as America 2000 and Wisconsin 2000 which are virtually identical in content and purpose and which would create national and state goals in education; extend the federal and state governments’ role in education and family life by merging social services and educational services and extending them into the prenatal period; institute skills clinics; and require state-mandated tests and assessments and/or a national series of assessments and a national curriculum; and Whereas these plans call for policies and legislation that would have professionals and institutions pass judgment on very
Whereas schools need to prepare students for tests they are required to take, which means that required tests dictate what curriculum will be used and how it will be taught; and Whereas federal testing represents a major increase in government control of education because although states, not the federal government, have the policing authority to make laws that govern schools, the federal government is claiming it has the authority to require federal testing of students in schools that accept money from the federal government; and Whereas federal testing is especially powerful because it applies the same requirements to the whole
What is so unusual (and great!) about Wisconsin homeschooling law? Full legal standing and complete parental control! (Read how Wisconsin compares to other states here.)
Wisconsin Laws Relating to Home-Based Private Education Programs (Homeschooling)
Download a printable PDF handout of this page.
“AN ACT to repeal 118.255 (1) (am) and 121.51 (3); to amend 115.30 (3) and 118.15 (1) (a); to repeal and recreate 118.15 (4); and to create 115.01 (1g) and (1r) and
Whereas during the past 30 years, parents and families have reestablished and confirmed the basic and traditional concept of homeschooling in the United States as a practice whereby parents take primary and direct responsibility for the education of their children with as little state regulation as possible; and Whereas this practice in Wisconsin has been achieved primarily through the hard and continuous work of homeschooling parents working through Wisconsin Parents Association against great resistance from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, public school boards, teachers unions, school district administrators, and others in the educational establishment; and Whereas although today there
Whereas home schooled students have consistently been shown to perform very well academically and socially; and Whereas entry/re-entry policies have been established without a demonstrated need or basis in fact by local public school districts in Wisconsin in response to or anticipation of Home-Based Private Educational Program students entering public schools; and Whereas approximately 4,000 former Home-Based Private Educational Program students have successfully entered conventional schools over the past five years without such policies being in effect; and Whereas such policies often discriminate against Home-Based Private Educational Program (HBPEP) students by applying different standards, criteria, and tests against HBPEP students
Understanding the Difference Between a School Transfer and Transfer Credits
Under Wisconsin law, a homeschool or Home Based Private Educational Program (HBPEP) is a legal category of school, equal to a public school or private school for the purpose of fulfilling Wisconsin’s compulsory attendance requirement (Wis Stat 115.001(3)(g); 118.165(1)).
Transferring from a Wisconsin Homeschool to a Wisconsin Public School
Under Wisconsin law, public schools must provide a free education to every student residing in the district (Wisconsin Constitution, Article X, Section III). School districts cannot refuse to accept students transferring from
Whereas homeschoolers have regained significant freedom of thought and belief by working to establish and maintain ourselves as private schools independent of public schools; and Whereas Wisconsin has a reasonable homeschooling law that homeschoolers have worked hard to get passed and to maintain; and Whereas homeschoolers are a very small minority but large and powerful interest groups are pressing for increased state regulation of homeschooling; and Whereas, in order for Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) rules to be changed so that homeschoolers could participate on public school sports teams, homeschools would have to comply with the Department of Public Instruction
Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association (formerly Wisconsin Parents Association) has been communicating with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) regarding ongoing, urgent issues for Wisconsin parents choosing to homeschool this year. WHPA issued two previous statements to DPI, asking for prompt and decisive action. Today, State Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Stanford Taylor issued a statement entitled COVID-19 Regulatory Flexibility Framework Provisions for the 2020-21 School Year 08/24/20. In this statement, DPI offers clear guidance to all Wisconsin school districts. Under the section entitled “Home Based Private Education (Homeschooling),” the statement reads:
Home-Based Private Educational Program (Homeschooling)
Statutes
Whereas the 1998 Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Tournament, sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin, presented an extremely negative and misleading impression of homeschoolers (see their 1998 Handbook of Case Materials); and Whereas the case materials developed by the State Bar of Wisconsin and distributed to high schools throughout the state foster misunderstanding and unwarranted prejudice against homeschoolers; and Whereas the materials reduce truancy to a simplistic behavior and fail to distinguish between compulsory attendance and compulsory education; and Whereas the materials are similar to the highly prejudicial and misinformed testimony presented at a hearing in April, 1997, before
Whereas the federal government has no constitutional authority over education but gains power over education by creating programs in education that give federal tax dollars to states and school districts who comply with the requirements of these programs; and Whereas the federal government has used its grants of tax dollars to influence and control education, including in recent years the establishment of national standards for elementary and secondary education; and Whereas a major piece of legislation known as No Child Left Behind was recently passed that requires of any school that receives federal education money to test children in grades
Note: this paper originally appeared as an article in the February 2009 WHPA newsletter (Issue #99). It has been updated for clarity.
On February 16, in the spring primary, and on April 6, in the general election, Wisconsin voters will choose the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, WHPA does not endorse any political candidate, or ally itself with any political organization. As a reminder, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction heads the state Department of Public Instruction, which advances public schools and public libraries. Under Wisconsin law, DPI must create and process the
WHPA has been working hard to preserve parental rights in Wisconsin, and opposing proposed “micro education pods” over the last year and a half. As of this writing, the proposed bill creating “micro education pods” is awaiting either approval or veto by Governor Evers. According to the Legislature’s 2021-22 Session Calendar, the next date that bills are scheduled to be presented to the Governor is April 14 (if it is presented to the Governor sooner, we will let you know). WHPA has again appealed to our members to speak up for parental rights by contacting Governor Evers
Immunizations Since “home-based private educational programs” are not included in the state statute regarding immunization (252.04), this statute does not apply to homeschoolers. Confirmation of this is also noted in the Department
Whereas some home schoolers want to take one or more courses in a public school; and Whereas the Wisconsin Constitution provides for free public education to all persons ages four through 20 years of age; and Whereas the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has given advice to local school boards that has led to policies denying home schoolers access to public school courses; and Whereas some formal policies adopted by local school boards prevent (in highly discriminatory ways) home schoolers from taking public school courses; and Whereas such policies are often in violation of a parent’s and student’s rights under
Yesterday, Wednesday February 23, 2022, the Wisconsin Senate Committee on Education held a public hearing to hear testimony about several proposed education bills, including SB 201 / AB 122, which would create “micro education pods” in Wisconsin. Members of the WHPA Board of Directors testified in person in opposition to this bill. You can view the hearing in full on the Wisconsin Eye website by following this link and registering for a free account: https://wiseye.org/2022/02/23/senate-committee-on-education-38/ (note: the SB 201 portion is the very first part and this video will go behind a paywall 24 hours after its posting)
The Assembly version of the proposal to create unregulated private schools, called “micro-education pods,” AB 122, passed out of the Assembly today, and we learned late this afternoon that the Senate version of the same bill, SB 201, is scheduled for a public hearing with the Senate Committee on Education tomorrow morning. This bill threatens our homeschooling rights by confusing the difference between homeschools (based on parental rights) and private schools (based on state law). It is critical that WHPA members and supporters speak up in defense of our homeschooling law at this hearing. The public hearing is scheduled for: Wednesday, February
A Wisconsin law passed in 2009 states public schools may not enroll a child in first grade unless that child has completed 5-year-old kindergarten, or applies for and receives an exemption to this requirement. Does this law mean a school can refuse to enroll a child in first grade? The answer is we don’t know for certain. The law has never been challenged or tested in the courts. However, it appears unenforceable. For a child who did not complete kindergarten, but wants to enroll in first grade, the confusing state of the law is this: First, public
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 10:30 a.m.
WHPA members should already be aware of the ongoing attempt by legislators to create unregulated private schools in Wisconsin, called “micro education pods” (formerly “microschools”), and WHPA’s diligent work opposing this proposal. You can read WHPA’s previous statements and action on this proposal here and here. The Senate version of the bill, SB 201, is scheduled for a public hearing with the Senate Committee on Education. It is critical that WHPA members and supporters speak up in defense of our homeschooling law at this hearing. The public hearing
When you choose to homeschool your child
- You are choosing to take full responsibility for your child’s education.
- You are choosing to not take advantage of other opportunities for your child’s education.
- You are choosing to exercise your rights under Wisconsin law.
- You are choosing to follow Wisconsin’s homeschooling law.
Your Homeschooling RIGHTS
Under Wisconsin law you have the right to:
- Homeschool your child.
- Homeschool your child free from any related contact, intervention, or harassment from any government agency,
Download a printable PDF handout of this page.
Wisconsin’s Home-Based Private Educational Program (homeschool) law affirms the child’s parent or guardian is the administrator of their homeschool. As the administrator of your homeschool in Wisconsin, you have full responsibility for and authority over your child’s education. But what does that actually mean?
The administrator of a HBPEP is legally equivalent to the administrator of any public or private school in Wisconsin. As the administrator of your homeschool in Wisconsin, you control the structure and style of your homeschool
Despite the Ongoing Pandemic, Nothing Has Changed in Wisconsin Homeschooling Law
WHPA reminds all homeschooling parents that under Wis Stats 115.30(3), the PI-1206 Homeschool Report includes a statement of enrollment on THE THIRD FRIDAY IN SEPTEMBER, and shall be submitted on or before October 15. WHPA strongly encourages parents to know and understand their rights and responsibilities under Wisconsin law, and to do no more than the law requires. On August 24th, State Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Stanford Taylor issued a statement entitled COVID-19 Regulatory Flexibility Framework Provisions for the 2020-21 School Year 08/24/20. In this statement, DPI offers clear
Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association has been in regular communication with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) since early August to address misinformation, harassment, and threats against parents withdrawing from public school to start homeschooling. In our ongoing communications, the DPI has noted its agreement with WHPA assertions about Wisconsin law, saying:
- “Regarding the PI-1206 form, DPI agrees that under Wis. Stat. § 115.30(3), no school district can compel the submission of the form prior to October 15.”
- “It is not appropriate for districts to be placing undue pressure on parents to submit a PI-1206 form, nor to be threatening
Whereas survey research on homeschooling undermines our homeschooling freedoms in several ways, including the following:
- Survey research is generally designed to compare homeschoolers to students in conventional schools, using the standards of conventional schools, which implies that homeschools should adopt the standards, practices, and values of conventional schools and assumes that these are the only correct ones.
- People who feel homeschoolers should be required to take state-mandated tests can point to survey research that includes homeschoolers’ scores on standardized tests as evidence that homeschoolers are willing to take such tests.
- Research that indicates that even a
Check below for the latest additions and updates to our website. (Current legislative watch issues are highlighted here.) Refer A Friend – new page Being the Administrator of Your Wisconsin Homeschool – new page Events – added Spring newsletter deadlines and 2022 Board Meetings Protecting Wisconsin Law – added Legislative Resources Membership – added Library Membership Financials – added 2020 Form 990 2021 Virtual Events Return to School FAQ Guidelines for Accepting Memberships and Donations Current Issues (improved organization) Resolutions Affiliations “The Handbook” (At Home
Homeschooling in Wisconsin: At Home with Learning a.k.a. “The Handbook”
In 1985, Wisconsin Parents Association (now Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association) published the first edition of “the handbook,” a groundbreaking collection of essays and information about homeschooling law and practice in Wisconsin. Entitled, “At Home With Learning,” the hard-copy handbook [ISBN 978-0-9651864-3-8] was updated several times, most recently the 7th edition in 2013. A 2016 minor reprint included new artwork from Wisconsin artist and homeschooler Heidi Hankley, as well as additional information about new Wisconsin law regarding public school sports and extracurricular activities. 
How can you join WHPA in our effort to protect our homeschooling freedoms? It’s up to all of us: We are all ambassadors for our very reasonable and hard-won homeschool law. Here are six concrete, actionable steps YOU can take to be a good ambassador.
Stay informed.
Share accurate information and point people to the law. Wisconsin’s homeschool law is presented very clearly here on our website with links to original source material.
When there is an Action Alert, be ready to act.
- Write and call your legislators.
- The biggest thing you can do is to attend hearings in
Whereas a growing number of government programs screen, evaluate, and label children at earlier and earlier ages; and Whereas the power of these programs is growing and spreading because they often involve a number of different public and private agencies, organizations, and professionals now working together through new programs to promote collaboration among government agencies; and Whereas the definition of “children with special needs” has been broadened so that many children who are following their own unique timetables but are well within the range of normal development are now being labeled as “developmentally delayed,” or “learning disabled,” or some such
