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.

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.

(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...

Although a credit or deduction could be helpful for homeschoolers, HSLDA opposes any tax break legislation that could come with governmental regulations. Homeschoolers have fought far too long and much too hard to throw off the chains of government regulation that hinder effective education and interfere with liberty. It would be inconsistent and foolhardy to accept tax incentives in exchange for government regulation. However, HSLDA supports tax credits that promote educational choice without threatening any regulation of homeschoolers. - See more at: http://nche.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200504150.asp#sthash.tvLv2ItR.dpuf

The education establishment has realized that the socialization issue will be seen for the red herring that it is, and has searched for other means to suppress homeschooling. Two new strategies have emerged, and these pose real threats to homeschooling. The first strategy is to argue that homeschooling needs some form of accreditation. A number of reasons have been offered: it eases the transition back to the public school for those homeschoolers who go back, it is the basis for awarding a recognized diploma, and it makes it easier to provide homeschoolers access to public school programs and facilities such as science classes, libraries, sports, etc. But accreditation is simply another word for conforming, and the desire to not conform is the fundamental reason for choosing to homeschool. Homeschoolers as a group will not be seduced nor will they be tricked by the false promises of accreditation. The second strategy for suppressing homeschooling is one that is much more likely to be successful, and it is to drastically limit homeschoolers’ access to public higher education. In this, the education establishment has discovered its only effective weapon against homeschooling.

This list is created to be a means of informing, documenting and evaluating available information concerning the impact of virtual/charter schools on the homeschooling community. This information consists of and is not limited to news items, articles from various sources, legislative information (bills, law changes), documented efforts and experiences and other information that may give weight to whether home-based charter schools or virtual schools are having an impact in any negative way on homeschooling.

This list is an opportunity for homeschoolers to contact homeschooling attorneys and experts about homeschooling legal and litigation issues. It is an informal network of attorneys and legal experts that are concerned with litigation pending and threatened against homeschoolers. Its primary purpose is to exchange legal information within the profession, and to educate and support attorneys and experts involved in homeschool litigation.

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.

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.

Department of Public Safety Letter concerning requirements of their identification policy and proof of enrollment for home schoolers.

This list of ten questions touches on political issues that affect and are important to homeschoolers. It includes tips on how to frame questions and how to elicit a candidate's opinion on a variety of issues.

While many parents may not have the opportunity to influence legislation regarding home education on the state level, there are ways to be involved on a local level.

Find the laws pertaining to home education for all 50 states and U.S. territories.

The Leeper verdict was appealed by the state, and on November 23, 1991, the Court of Appeals, Second District, upheld the lower court’s ruling completely and without changes. This is the text of the appeals court ruling in this case. The original lower court ruling was upheld, affirming that students who are legitimately being educated at home are exempt from compulsory attendance laws.

Homeschoolers have been vigilant in protecting their rights, rising to the occasion when they discover threats to clamp down on their activities. Discusses some of the criticisms by opponents of homeschooling, along with the examples of some legal fights in Connecticut and Montana.

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.

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.

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.

This is a list of states that have addressed issues of homeschooler participation in public school classes, sports, activities, etc.

Twenty years ago, home education was treated as a crime in almost every state. Today, it is legal all across America, despite strong and continued opposition from many within the educational establishment. How did this happen? This paper traces the legal and sociological history of the modern home school movement, and then suggests factors that led to this movement's remarkable success.

(a) A child who is required to attend school under this section shall attend school each school day for the entire period the program of instruction is provided. (b) Unless specifically exempted by Section 25.086, a child who is at least six years of age, or who is younger than six years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who has not yet reached the child's 18th birthday shall attend school. (c) On enrollment in prekindergarten or kindergarten, a child shall attend school. (d) Unless specifically exempted by Section 25.086...

Questions and answers concerning the legal requirements for homeschooling in Texas provided by the Texas Home School Coalition Association.

Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. PJI provides free representation to parents who are unlawfully denied the right to homeschool their children. PJI also provides legal counsel to those parents wishing to homeschool, but do not know their legal options or obligations.

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 north and northeast Texas.

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.

You've made the decision to homeschool, so what's next? This article includes some friendly, non-legal advice concerning what to do and what not to do when beginning to homeschool in Texas.

This is a letter from Jim Nelson of the Texas Education Agency concerning the dual enrollment of home school students wishing to utilize special education services. It discusses changes implemented as a result of the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

As their ranks increase, homeschoolers are tapping public schools for curriculum, part-time classes, extracurricular services, and online learning.

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 the compulsory attendance statute in 1915. The basic question was, are home schools private schools? The Tarrant County District Court ruled that home schools are indeed private schools. On April 13, 1987, presiding Judge Charles J. Murray issued a decision (binding on all 1,100 school districts) which was a complete vindication of the rights of parents to educate their children at home in the State of Texas.

A short and enthusiastic explanation of the laws pertaining to home education in Texas.

Tim Lambert respond to the series of articles on home schooling by the Akron Beacon Journal.

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.

The Home School Legal Defense Association provides a brief summary of the homeschooling laws in Texas. Includes a link to a legal analysis of laws relating to homeschooling in Texas.

An advisory group concerned with educating people about the need to eliminate government involvement in education and the rights of parents to educate their own children. On this site, you will find a public proclamation for the separation of school and state, which you can sign.

In Pierce v. Society of the Sisters, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "the fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments of this Union repose excludes any general power of the state to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the creature of the state."

This is the text of the final judgement of the case of Leeper v. Arlington ISD. The conclusion in this case was that "a school-age child residing the the state of Texas who is pursuing under the direction of a parent or parents or one standing in parental authority in or through the child's home in a bona fide (good faith, not a sham or subterfuge) manner a curriculum consisting of books, workbooks, or written materials including that which appears on an electronic screen of either a computer or video tape monitor, or any combination of the preceding from (1) either one of a private or parochial school which exists apart from the child home or (2) which has been developed or obtained from any source, said curriculum designed to meet basic education goals of reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and a study of good citizenship, is in attendance upon a private or parochial school within the meaning of Section 21.033 (a) (1) of the Texas Education Code and exempt from the requirements of compulsory attendance at a public school . . ." This case also affirmed that standardized test scores are not required in order for ther to be compliance with the law.

The Association of HomeSchool Attorneys (AHSA) provides a list of attorneys who consult with and/or represent homeschoolers.

One responsibility of THSC is not only to protect the established laws that safeguard the right to home school in Texas—and ultimately the right of all parents to direct the care, custody, and education of their children—but it is also to fight for new laws that expand the freedoms of parents in this great state.

Jim Nelson, Commissioner of Education, provides some general information with respect to the Texas Education Agency's position on home schooled students.

Virtual charter schools are popping up all over the country, providing free computers, textbooks and educational materials to any family who would like to enroll in their program. Jennifer James takes a hard look at how these schools are detrimental to black homeschoolers.

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.

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services memo to all CPS staff regarding lack of CPS authority over home schooling