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, including schools.
- Homeschool your child at any time between the ages of 6 and 18, for any number of years, through high school graduation.
- Educate your child in a way that best suits your child, your family, and your principles and beliefs.
- Move freely, and choose freely as to what constitutes your child’s education.
- Have your child assessed for special education needs by your school district (under the Child Find mandate of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).
Under Wisconsin law you do not have a right to
- Public money or goods for instructing your child.
- Special services outlined in IDEA, which guarantees a free, appropriate public education to all children. (You may be able to access some services if your district chooses to allow it; you are not guaranteed the services outlined in IDEA.)
Your Homeschooling RESPONSIBILITIES
Under Wisconsin law you MUST
- File a PI-1206 Homeschool Report with the Department of Public Instruction each year that you are homeschooling.
- File your PI-1206 Homeschool Report on or before October 15.
- Comply with the requirements of homeschooling in Wisconsin, as defined in Wisconsin Law: Wis Stat 115.001(3g) and Wis Stat 118.165.
Responsibilities to Other Homeschoolers
One responsibility we each have is to operate our homeschool in a way that is in compliance with our very reasonable law. As one WPA founder often said, “What I do affects each of you, and what each of you do affects me.”
Two ways to take responsibility are:
- Do no more than the law requires. Doing more than the minimum required by law works to erode your rights to direct your own child’s education under the law.
- Don’t ask for special treatment under the law. Because homeschools are on the same legal footing as private schools, asking for government assistance in the form of public money, goods, or services blurs the line between homeschools and public schools.
Helpful resources are WHPA’s Ten Principles and Protecting Wisconsin Law. Still have questions? Contact us.
Last Updated on 09/18/21
