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We hear the word âhomeschoolingâ a lot, but how it is used can be confusing. People sometimes use the word âhomeschoolingâ to mean âanyone doing any kind of learning in their home.â But under Wisconsin law, not everyone learning at home is legally âhomeschooling.â
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âAN 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 the homeschooling movement has to do with choosing an education consistent with one’s principles and beliefs; and Whereas maintaining this freedom requires the commitment of a diverse group of people; and Whereas basic freedoms, including freedom of choice in one’s principles and beliefs, are central to our democratic society; and Whereas the homeschooling movement has succeeded by recognizing and working for the freedom of choice for all families rather than for just those people associated with a particular political party, religious belief, ideology, educational philosophy, or approach to homeschooling; and Whereas there is a tendency by the media and
Homeschooling is no different from any other topic you can Google: there is a lot of information out there and only some of it is reliable.
Does the information cite to or align with the language of the law?
Is the information from a national group, a private for-profit source, an individual selling their âexpertise,â or
If you are considering homeschooling due to a crisis (such as illness outbreaks), first know your districtâs 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 childâs educational needs and your familyâs beliefs. Your child can be enrolled in only one educational program at a time,
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WHPA gratefully accepts memberships
Whereas the pioneers of the modern homeschooling movement in Wisconsin worked together despite their differences to ensure that the Wisconsin Legislature passed a homeschooling law that recognized the right of families to choose for their members an education consistent with their principles and beliefs; and Whereas WPA has formulated essential principles and practices to ensure that our homeschooling freedoms survive-these include knowing what is required of homeschoolers in Wisconsin; doing only the minimum required by statute or regulation; not ignoring violations of our rights, even if they seem too small to matter; not seeking or accepting benefits from the government;
We have confirmed that Representative Sinicki has requested that the Joint Legislative Council create a Study Committee to review the Home-Based Private Educational Program Law in Wisconsin. The purpose of a Study Committee is to identify a problem and offer legislative solutions. Since the homeschooling law in Wisconsin is not a problem and we do not want additional homeschooling legislation, we do not want this to move forward. Please contact the co-chairs, Representative Brooks and Senator Roth, and let them know that Wisconsinâs homeschooling law is working well as it is and you do not support the creation of a Study Committee. Phone
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
Whereas the recent five-year-old kindergarten statute will result in children being put under increased pressure socially, academically, and emotionally; and Whereas, in part due to Wisconsin Parents Associationâs (WPA) work and testimony over the years opposing such legislation, it does not directly affect homeschoolers today but is confusing to homeschoolers and a cause of concern for what might happen as conventional schooling is being required at younger and younger ages; and Whereas the recent statute means:
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:
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
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Whereas parents are responsible for their children, including their educations; and Whereas the state has no constitutional, statutory, or common law authority to demand, require, or invoke any specific educational program for a child; and Whereas the state has no legal authority in education except that available under the federal constitution’s policing provision and only within the past 50 years has the citizenry used this authority to extend compulsory attendance laws through the high school years; and Whereas schools derive their authority from parents and other citizens rather than from federal or state constitutions or authorities but this unfortunately is
Being a member of a local homeschool support group gives you opportunities to establish local relationships, share ideas and experiences, and build a day-to-day network of support. Being a member of WHPA means youâre part of the state-wide, inclusive, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the right and freedom of parents to provide an education to their children according to their own principles and beliefs. When you join or renew your membership with your local homeschool support group and WHPA at the same time, everyone
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
Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association provides a wide variety of resources to Wisconsin homeschooling families:
Your donations help make all of these things possible. Please read through the following important information, fill out and submit the form below, and complete your payment via PayPal when prompted. Thank you for your support!
(Reaffirming the resolution adopted by WPAâs members in May, 1998)
WHPA was fundamental in the writing and passage of our longstanding reasonable homeschool law in 1984. Our members and member-volunteers have worked hard ever since to protect our rights. WHPA needs our members and allies to speak up now. WHPA Is Not A Lobbyist Firm WHPA is Wisconsinâs only statewide, grassroots, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to protect every Wisconsin parentâs right to educate their own children according to their own principles and beliefs. âGrassrootsâ means WHPA exists to empower parents to exercise their rights and freedoms. âGrassrootsâ means when we need to share a message with legislators, we rely on our
How can you join WHPA in our effort to protect our homeschooling freedoms? Itâs 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.
August 19, 2020 Wisconsin Parents Associationâs Board of Directors has voted to change our name. We are excited to announce that WPAâs name has evolved to Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association (WHPA). We feel this change respects our organization’s history, while also acknowledging the contemporary needs of homeschoolers in Wisconsin. We believe it will help homeschoolers find us, as the addition of âhomeschoolingâ to our name makes us more searchable online. We believe the addition of âhomeschoolingâ will also make it easier for legislators to recognize our important role in Wisconsin as the only state-wide grassroots homeschool organization, and the very
On Friday, March 4, the Senate Committee on Education passed both âmicro education podâ bills, AB 122 and SB 201, out of committee, and AB 122, which has already been passed by the Assembly, has been scheduled for a vote by the full Senate on Tuesday, March 8. It is critical that WHPA members and supporters speak up in defense of our homeschooling law. You can find background and analysis of these bills on our website. Call your Senator before Tuesday and ask them to vote NO on AB 122. (Find tips on our website.)
Whereas in this country, educational goals are now chosen by students and parents, generally assisted by teachers; and Whereas the compulsory school attendance law requires attendance but does not and cannot dictate the outcome of that education (or there would be no freedom of thought or learning); and Whereas public schools provide a service for those who choose to use them; and Whereas the establishment of state goals in education would mean that the law would be requiring “education” rather than attendance; and Whereas this country was founded in large part on the basis of freedom of thought and belief
First, it is important to say that homeschooling voucher programs (like the one outlined in HR 610) have not been successful at the state level, so we have no specific data about how homeschooling vouchers would increase regulation other than to compare it to private schools accepting voucher money vs. those that are not (keep reading for information about states with tax credits). Voucher programs for homeschoolers that have been introduced in other states have not passed due to homeschoolers not wanting the money which would surely lead to regulation. When the government offers money for a specific purpose (education, roads, etc.),
Whereas the primary rights and responsibilities of people are given by God or nature and not by the state; and Whereas parental rights and responsibilities for rearing children, especially in the areas of education, health, and welfare, are so fundamental that they cannot be realistically reduced to statutory or constitutional language; and Whereas the state does not now have at any level of government (federal, state, or local) the authority to direct how a child should be educated, cared for, or nurtured; (For example, compulsory school attendance laws require attendance but do not require education.) and Whereas once people ask
Whereas the media in the United States holds enormous power to persuade and to inform or misinform the public; and Whereas the media is a primary source of news for most people, including those who hold it in low regard; and Whereas the media seldom does in-depth, independent fact-finding but rather relies on experts in universities, think tanks, foundations, and large organizations for the news they report; and Whereas the media increasingly reports at face value the views and prejudices of government officials instead of playing the media’s historic role as the “fourth estate” of questioning, if not challenging, government
Whereas state and local governments and public and private agencies are using increasingly repressive measures to try to keep young people in school, including day-time curfews and police pick-ups of young people who are not inside a school building during “school hours;” and Whereas such repressive measures have not been shown to be effective in any case but rather have often been found to be counterproductive; and Whereas these measures are a severe infringement of people’s basic freedoms and civil liberties, including the freedom to be in public places and not be interrogated or arrested without reasonable evidence and due
âThe essence of homeschooling is in the freedom to make our own choices, the freedom from any state regulation telling us when, where, how, or what in particular we must learn. Protecting this freedom is absolutely essential for us to realize the full benefits of homeschooling. Anything that diminishes that freedom, however slightly, turns me, to that extent, into an unpaid agent of the state, carrying out someone else’s directives as to how my children should learn.â
âRoy Underhillâs Opening Remarks, 2002 WPA Conference
Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association is a state-wide, inclusive, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated
When you choose to homeschool your child
Under Wisconsin law you have the right to:Â
Kindergarten is not mandatory in Wisconsin! Compulsory attendance in Wisconsin begins the year the child turns 6 on or before September 1st. Thatâs rightâif your child is 4 or 5 years old on September 1st
We hear the word âhomeschoolingâ a lot, but how it is used can be confusing. People sometimes use the word âhomeschoolingâ to mean âanyone doing any kind of learning in their home.â But under Wisconsin law, not everyone learning at home is legally âhomeschooling.â In Wisconsin, we have a long-standing law that defines âhomeschoolingâ and protects the rights of all Wisconsin families. Legal homeschools in Wisconsin law are called Home-Based Private Educational Programs (HBPEPâs). (Wis stat 115.001(3g)) HOME BASED â these programs are not based in any institution.
Annual Membership runs from the month you join for 12 months. For example, if you join today, you will receive a renewal notification at the beginning of this month next year, and you will have until the end of that month to renew and keep your membership current.
WHPA gratefully accepts memberships and donations that support and further our mission. Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), organization supported only through memberships and donations. As an all-volunteer organization, online memberships generally get processed once every 7-10 days. Postal memberships are processed
WHPA recommends only filing the PI-1206 Homeschool Report for children who have turned 6 years old by September 1 of the current year, even if you are filing the form for other children in your family who are homeschooling. Filing the PI-1206 any earlier exceeds the minimum requirements of the law. WHPA encourages you not to file the form earlier than statutorily required because waiting serves to protect our reasonable homeschooling laws for all Wisconsin families. Often in law, doing more than the minimum required by law creates both the belief that doing more than the minimum is required and
Refer a friend (up to 6) and get 2 months free when they join for the first time AND tell us you referred them! Here’s how it works:
Each
Whereas major studies over the past 40 years have consistently shown parents and families, rather than schools or teachers, to be the determining factor in whether a child succeeds academically and socially; and Whereas day care and preschool have been shown to lead to anti-social and aggressive behavior; and Whereas child care can have serious harmful results for the child, parents, and the family (For example, an abstract from a recent major study of universal child care includes these findings: âFinally, we uncover striking evidence that children are worse off in a variety of behavioral and health dimensions, ranging from
Betsy DeVos was confirmed as Secretary of Education. Â She is a strong proponent of vouchers for âschool choice.â Â Her list of choices includes homeschooling. A bill (HR610) was introduced, at the federal level, by Rep. Steve King (R) of Iowa. Â This bill seeks, in part, to render financial assistance to parents who choose to educate their children outside the public school system, including homeschoolers. The bill has now been referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. WPA believes that homeschoolers taking any government money (i.e. vouchers, tax credits, educational savings accounts, etc.) will lead to additional regulation