Granted, the information that the superintendent wanted was of no consequence. The information that she wanted was along the lines of names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers and general other information. There was not much more that the superintendent was asking for. However, legally (according to the state’s homeschool laws) the superintendent did not have the right to deny the notices of intent.

Six of the eight families had used the notice of intent provided by the Home School Legal Defense Association. The other two had used other forms or had written their own forms.

There are two good points to be made out of this whole ordeal. One is that your business is your business and knowledge is power so know your rights. This superintendent wrote to these families telling them they had to come in and meet with her. There are no laws regarding that. However, the second point to be made is that if you are doing what is right by your children then why do you care if you have to provide a little information. As a homeschool mother myself I would not be happy about the time it would take out of my day but I would not have minded sending in the necessary (or unnecessary) information.

It is always a good idea to fill out your state’s notice of intent form and the compulsory attendance forms. This is not to say that HSLDA does not have the appropriate forms or anything else. It is just good to cover all of your bases. It is also good to keep an open mind and to realize that most school districts are not anti-homeschool and homeschoolers should not be anti-public school. To each his own. What is right for one family may not be right or even be possible for another family. We all need to respect each other and have the betterment of our children in mind. It can be a great partnership if we all work together.