Daytime Curfews
A growing number of Illinois municipalities have daytime curfew laws
in place. While these laws do not directly target homeschoolers, they
do affect us more than they do other law-abiding school-aged children.
Therefore, we do not support daytime curfews, and we encourage
citizens to work against efforts on the part of their local
governments to impose daytime curfews.
If you are in an area with a daytime curfew law and have a child out
and about on public streets during your public school's hours, it
would be wise to acquaint yourself with the exact wording of that law
and to talk to your child about what to say to a police officer who
asks why he or she is not in school.
We strongly advise that your child carry a School ID card from your
homeschool, or a letter with your school's letterhead, stating that
your child is on official school business. Your signature and
telephone number(s) should appear prominently so the officer can
question you, rather than your child. If your child is away from the
house, and not with you, you are still responsible for him/her. Make
sure that you stay near a phone, so that you can always be reached.
At no time should your child hand a cell phone over to the officer to
use. Cell phones contain private information which should not be
given to the police without a search warrant.
Keep in mind that the police officer's job is simply to identify
truants and get them off the street. Even specially-designated truant
officers are not qualified to judge your educational program.
Offering justifications for your child's activities is therefore not
recommended. If a police officer calls you to ask why your child is
out on the street, politely and firmly state that your child is a
student in good standing at a school that is in compliance with the
Illinois compulsory attendance law, and that s/he is away from the
school building with the school's full knowledge and permission.
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