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.
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| State Laws |
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Read the laws regulating home education in Maryland 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.
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| Forms |
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Which forms do you need to fill out? Where can you get them? Here is a list of useful forms for homeschooling in Maryland.
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| Legal Support |
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If you need legal information or have run into a legal situation regarding your decision to homeschool, these resources will be helpful.
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| Lobbying Groups |
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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.
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| Attorneys |
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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.
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| Legal Issues |
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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?
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| Government Resources |
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A listing of local and state government resources, including your state's Department of Education, school districts, and Senate and House of Representative information.
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National Home Education Legal Defense (NHELD) |
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National Home Education Legal Defense was founded by Attorney Deborah G. Stevenson as a non-sectarian legal support organization. NHELD offers its members legal assistance by an attorney licensed to practice in your state working with NHELD licensed attorneys. Members are also kept apprised of pending legislative action, scholarship programs, and other programs beneficial to homeschoolers. |
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Responding to Current Legislative Challenges Promoted by National Organizations |
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Larry and Susan Kaseman |
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Two different kinds of legislation are undermining our rights and responsibilities as parents and our homeschooling freedoms. It would be serious enough if this legislation was coming from opponents of parents' rights and homeschooling. But the fact that the legislation is being promoted by national organizations that claim to support parental rights and homeschooling is very confusing and frustrating.
This column will discuss two different legislative initiatives. Topic 1 covers efforts being made by several national organizations to get parental rights legislation or constitutional amendments passed in many states, why this concerns homeschoolers, and what we can do. Topic 2 focuses on problems that accompany efforts to include homeschoolers in federal legislation designed to give parents tax breaks for educational expenses and what we can do about this.
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Homeschooling Litigation: Preparing the Way |
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Zan Tyler |
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The greatest obstacle pioneering homeschoolers faced two decades ago was daunting: in most states home education wasn't legal. This article details five of the most significant cases that have become landmark decisions in the move towards homeschooling freedoms: the DeJonge case in Michigan, the Jeffery case in Pennsylvania, the Diegel case in Ohio, the Triple E case in South Carolina, and the Calabretta case in California.
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On Jumping Through Hoops |
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Helen Hegener |
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Most books and articles on home education are quick to point out that homeschooling is legal--in one form or another-- in all fifty states. Parents might have to jump through more hoops in one state than in another, but, as long as they're willing to jump through those hoops, they are allowed to teach their own children at home. But are these hoops actually necessary?
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Maryland Home Education Association (MHEA) |
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Maryland Home Education Association (MHEA) serves and supports families of all religious, philosophical, and ethnic persuasions. They provide information about homeschooling and networking opportunities. |
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