Summary Outline of Illinois School Laws that Pertain to
Private Homeschools
Specific Homeschool Statutes: None
Alternative Statutes Allowing for Homeschools:
- Section 26-1: "Any child attending a private or a parochial school where children are taught the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools, and where the instruction of the child in the branches of education is in the English Language" is in compliance with the Illinois compulsory attendance law and is therefore not truant.
According to People vs. Levisen, a homeschool is a private school if it does those things that private schools are required to do.
Academic Requirements: None, other than you must teach those branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools and in the English Language.
NOTE: Students using American Sign Language (ASL) are considered as being taught in the English language. Children for whom English is a second language must still be taught in English. Of course, in addition to teaching the branches of education in English, you may teach anything else including the branches in any language(s) you choose.
Subjects: According to the Illinois Annotated Code, Section 27-1, the branches of education are Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Fine Arts, Physical Science, Physical Education, and Health.
Compulsory Attendance: Compulsory attendance begins upon a child's 7th birthday and continues until their 17th birthday, unless the child has already graduated from high school. This is according to the Illinois Annotated Code, Section 26-1.
NOTE: Attendance does NOT mean sitting at a desk for five hours. Homeschooling, by it's very nature, incorporates a wide variety of experiences. There are no mandated numbers of hours per day or days per year of attendance for private schools.
Teacher Certification: Only public school teachers must be certified according to the Illinois Annotated Code, Section 21-1.
Standardized Testing: Not required by statute.
State recognition of your program or registration of your school: Not required.
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State
recognition of your program or registration of your school:
Not required.
NOTE: If contacted by the Regional Superintendent or truant officers
homeschoolers should verify, preferably with a written
letter of compliance,
that you are in compliance with Section 26-1 because you teach the
required branches of education in the English language.
No other official has authority to ask anything about your homeschool.
For more information please read "
What
do I do if a truant officer comes to my door?"
You may be asked to sign a "
Statement
of Assurance" and/or a "Home School Registration Form" form. There is no reason why anyone should
fill these forms out. If you receive one, you can send it back blank with
a letter of compliance.
You may be asked to fill out the "
Non-Public
School Registration Enrollment and Staff Report". This
assumes you are a Non-Public School, which is true. The form is
voluntary for all Non-Public Schools, but we urge you not to fill it
out. Bureaucrats like a piece of paper for their files
though, so you may wish to send them a letter of compliance
instead.
Arguments against registering as a homeschool can be read here:
illinoishouse.org/8reasons.php.
State
Accreditation:
Not required.
Graduation
Requirements:
Each Illinois private school develops their
own and gives their own graduation diploma. For reference,
State of Illinois graduation requirements can be found at: http://www.isbe.net/news/pdf/grad_require.pdf.
Transfer
OUT of the public school procedures:
Please visit our page
explaining how to withdraw a student from public schools.
Transfer
INTO the public school procedures:
Please see our page
explaining how to re-enroll a
homeschooled student into the public schools.
This
analysis does not constitute
the giving of legal advice.
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