Legal/Homeschool Laws
Laws that regulate home education vary from state to state. It is important to understand the legal requirements in your state and to be aware of legislative and other legal issues that affect homeschoolers in your community. We've compiled resources that will help you become informed. Although homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, and the vast majority of homeschoolers face no problems, you may find that you need legal assistance at some point in your homeschooling career. We've compiled a list of resources to help you find the support you need. And if you'd like to become more involved in working towards homeschooling freedoms, we discuss some of the issues facing homeschoolers that we hope you find compelling.
State Laws
Read the laws regulating home education in Texas and browse through the case law and legal opinions relating to those laws, along with government publications relating to homeschooling and summaries of the laws.
Forms
Which forms do you need to fill out? Where can you get them? Here is a list of useful forms for homeschooling in Texas.
Legal Support
If you need legal information or have run into a legal situation regarding your decision to homeschool, these resources will be helpful.
Lobbying Groups
A listing of local and national lobbying groups and information on how you can become involved in the political process to ensure the freedom to homeschool is protected.
Attorneys
When searching for an attorney, it is helpful to know whether he or she has experience working with homeschoolers and is interested in protecting the right to homeschool.
Legal Issues
Is homeschooling legal? Which laws pertain to homeschoolers and which don't? How do homeschoolers protect their rights to freely educate their children and to preserve their privacy?
Government Resources
A listing of local and state government resources, including your state's Department of Education, school districts, and Senate and House of Representative information.
What's Popular
Texas Homeschooling Laws
A short and enthusiastic explanation of the laws pertaining to home education in Texas.
Is Unschooling Legal?
Although it hasn't been tested in court, as far as this mother is concerned for her family unschooling is perfectly legal in the state of Texas. Here's how she sees unschooling fits the Leeper decision for her and her family.
Leeper Supreme Court Decision
The state again appealed, and in June of 1994, the Texas Supreme Court, in a unanimous 9-0 decision {Texas Educ. Agency v. Leeper, 893 S.W.2d 432 (Tex. 1994)}, confirmed the lower court’s decision. This is the text of that decision.
Letter from Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
Letter from Commissioner Cockerell of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services clarifying that CPS does not consider home schooling as a risk factor in determining the safety of a child.
CPS Memorandum on Homeschooling
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services memo to all CPS staff regarding lack of CPS authority over home schooling
Texas Education Code 25.086. Exemptions.
(a) A child is exempt from the requirements of compulsory school attendance if the child: (1) attends a private or parochial school that includes in its course a study of good citizenship; ... (5) is at least 17 years of age and: (A) is attending a course of instruction to prepare for the high school equivalency examination, ... or (B) has received a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate...
TX Department of Family and Protective Services Letter
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services letter confirming that a CPS workers have no jurisdiction in home education, truancy or compulsory school attendance matters.
North Texas Home Educators’ Network (NTHEN)
The North Texas Home Educators’ Network (NTHEN) provides services and support to homeschool families and homeschool support groups in north and northeast Texas. Their goal is to ensure homeschool leaders and parents have the proper tools and resources to create an enriching education experience for every homeschool student. NTHEN is the largest regional homeschool organization in Texas, serving local support group leaders in more than 80 counties and from more than 160 support groups throughout ...
Texas Homeschooling Curriculum Requirements
Some Texas homeschoolers are being given false information by some school districts. This is the Texas Home School Coalition's response from August 15, 1997.
Department of Public Safety Letter Regarding Home Schoolers
Department of Public Safety Letter concerning requirements of their identification policy and proof of enrollment for home schoolers.
Letter from Commissioner Neeley to Senator Barrientos
Letter from Commissioner Neeley to Senator Barrientos Neeley / Barrientos Letter clarifying her position that it is not the state’s responsibility to regulate home schools.
Homeschool Attorneys in Texas
These attorneys have indicated that they are willing to provide legal information, consult with or represent homeschoolers on homeschooling or other legal issues they may have in their states. Most of these attorneys homeschool or have homeschooled their own children.
Leeper Case Decisions
In March 1985, attorney Shelby Sharpe, on behalf of several home school families and curriculum suppliers, filed a lawsuit against all the school districts in Texas on behalf of all home educators in Texas. In what became known as the Leeper vs. Arlington class action suit (Leeper v. Arlington I.S.D. No. 17-88761-85), home educators asked the court to give a declaratory judgment on the question of whether or not the legislature had intended home schools to be private schools when they enacted th...
Texas Education Agency Home School Informationq
Includes a home school information cover letter, the Commissioner's April 20, 2004, Home School Policy Letter, and the text of the Texas Education Code governing operation of schools and School Attendance.
A Texas Response to the Akron Beacon-Journal
Tim Lambert respond to the series of articles on home schooling by the Akron Beacon Journal.
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Featured Resources
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Montessori: A Modern Approach
Montessori: A Modern Approach has been called the single best book for anyone -- educator, childcare professional, and especially parent -- seeking answers to the questions: What is the Montessori method? Are its revolutionary ideas about early child...
Diana Waring--History Alive!
Diana Waring--History Alive! produces books, tapes, videos, and history curriculum for the homeschool market.
These Rare Lands
If a picture's worth 1,000 words, this book--with its hundreds of breathtaking photos of America's National Parks--is a well-stocked bookstore. Accompanied by the words of poet laureate Mark Strand, These Rare Lands is a perfect coffee-table book ...
English from the Roots Up
English from the Roots Up explores the Latin and Greek roots of words. Many people haven't realized how valuable the Latin and Greek vocabulary is in the formulation of the finely structured English vocabulary of today. Even learning a few Latin and ...
Shurley English
Shurley English maintains that effective instruction in English must be founded upon an understanding of how the parts of speech work together in a sentence. A good grammar foundation gives students the skills to improve writing. Grammar is the struc...