Yes, if you move to a new district in Ohio, you need to notify again. Within 5 days of moving to your new district, you must transmit a new exemption notification, just as you did at the beginning of the school year, to your new district superintendent. You do NOT need to notify your old district that you have moved, but you can do so if you wish, as a courtesy for their records.
From ORC 3321.042 (C): Within five calendar days after commencing home education, moving into a new school district, or withdrawing from a public or nonpublic school....the parent or guardian of a child receiving a home education shall transmit a notice to the superintendent of the child's school district of residence.
A notification to your district of residence must be sent within 5 days of moving in, when moving in during the district's school year. Whether you are buying a home, renting, living with relatives, or living in a van down by the river (heh), it’s all the same. If you are living in Ohio (and it is during the regular school year, not summer), notification will be to the school district in which you are residing. If you move again to a new district, you will need to notify again to that local district's superintendent.
If you moved during summer months when school is not in session and have not yet notified for this school year to the old district, you simply notify as usual to your new district in August. If a "reminder to notify" letter is forwarded to you from your old district in the Fall, you can leave a voice mail to let them know you moved out of the district, as a courtesy for their records, but this is not required. Notify as usual to your new local district superintendent, not the old district.
If you are moving out of Ohio, you do not need to do anything further with Ohio. You do not need to notify the school district that you are leaving. You can just leave – and then be sure to investigate and follow the homeschool law in your new state.
If you wish to let your old district know, as a courtesy for their records, a quick after-hours voice mail would be fine, but this is not required.
You can send in your exemption notification to begin homeschooling at any point in the school year, It is never "too late" to begin homeschooling, even if it's the last day of school in the district. The best time to remove a child from school and begin homeschooling is the day you decide it's the right choice for your family.
Notification of your exemption is due within 5 days of a withdrawal from school but we recommend doing so the same day you decide to keep your child home to begin homeschooling. Continuing to homeschool to the next school year, annual exemptions must be transmitted (sent) to the local district superintendent by August 30 each school year.
Section (C): Within five calendar days after commencing home education, moving into a new school district, or withdrawing from a public or nonpublic school, and by the thirtieth day of August each year thereafter
You should notify to homeschool if one or more of the following:
You should NOT notify to homeschool this year if:
Do I need to include a report card/test results/any assessment from my previous school/district/state if we are notifying to homeschool in Ohio? Any copies of proof?
No. Due to a law change in 2023, *nothing* is sent with your notification other than your exemption notification. (You can use a form or a letter format, although we strongly recommend using the law-aligned form. Do not use any form provided by a school or with ODE letterhead.) Nothing is added other than what you see on the form.
You do not send in birth certificate copies, diplomas, or marriage licenses.
We no longer include any curriculum information, assurances of hours, our children's birthdates, or assessment results. If you choose to do an assessment (such as a test or a portfolio review) for your own records, these reports are kept by you only; they are NOT sent to the local district superintendent.
If I decide to walk my notification in to my district superintendent’s office instead of sending it via certified mail (with the additional return signature receipt card), what should I do to make sure I have proof that they have received it, in case anyone claims it was not sent?
If you decide to take your notification in personally, you need to receive a signed and dated receipt of your exemption notification before leaving the office. You can have the office worker sign a second copy of your notification, provide you a signed and dated receipt, or you can print out a document as a receipt for them to sign and date.
If they refuse to sign and date your document, or in any way else provide you with physical proof that your notification has been received, do not leave it with them. Take it to the post office and send your paperwork certified, with the physical return signature receipt postcard attached to the envelope.
We STRONGLY recommend that if you are new to homeschooling, and especially if you are withdrawing your child mid-year, to just send your notification certified and with return signature receipt, as detailed in the Primer. 99% of "emergency" calls and messages we receive are from families who are standing in the superintendent's office, trying to hand in their notification, and the office worker is refusing to accept the notification, they insist it needs to go to a county or "homeschool coordinator" office, or they (wrongly) threaten truancy. None of these locations are correct by Ohio law. It must be transmitted to the local district superintendent. However, some school district offices take your decision to homeschool personally, and try to insist they cannot take your notification. This can be intimidating to some parents, especially those new to homeschooling who are nervous about the change, and maybe are unsure of the process. The US mail worker has no emotion in the situation and he or she will simply require the school officer worker to sign for the certified mail without question.
If you decide to email your notification (this is not recommended, but you can), be sure to send the email with a read receipt. it is not recommended to email. however, because even with a read receipt, it might be sent to spam or not received by the superintendent.
Do NOT put your notification in regular mail, or drop if off at a superintendent office without obtaining a receipt. Ever. Since you are exempt upon sending the notification, the proof that you sent it is crucial.
My district’s website says that I have to continue to send my child to school until my “request” to homeschool has been “approved”.
Your notification is your legal withdrawal from school, and your child is exempt from compulsory attendance upon the superintendent’s receipt of your exemption notification, When or if the superintendent replies has nothing to do with our exemption or withdrawal.
ORC 3321.042: The child's exemption under this section is effective immediately upon receipt of notice.
We recommend notifying the same day you keep your child home. If you don't, you must at least notify within 5 days of removing the child from school to avoid truancy questions. When you have notified, you are homeschooling – the same day. You can take your child home from school, send in your notification, and start homeschooling – all in the same day. There is NO wait time or approval process in Ohio. Any district that includes wording such as "approval", "request", or "application" on their letters or website is distributing incorrect information. Ohio is a notification state – not an approval state. You do not “apply” or ask to homeschool. It is not an application or a request– it’s simply a notification that informs the local district superintendent that you ARE homeschooling. The superintendent has no right to “approve” or “deny” your right.
The superintendent has 14 calendar days from his or her receipt of the exemption notification to reply to the parent or guardian with his or her acknowledgement of that exemption. This is simply an acknowledgement of receipt. Neither the superintendent, school principal, a coordinator, or ESC administrator, can ask you to provide anything other than what is written on the exemption notification form. Even if your superintendent never replies back with an acknowledgement as they are required by Ohio law to do, this is irrelevant to your homeschooling status.
Yes, you can have someone else provide your child's home education. However, according to section (C) of the statute, you as the parent or guardian are still directing the education and so you will be the one who needs to complete and send the annual notification.
ORC 3321.042 (C): ... the parent or guardian of a child receiving a home education shall transmit a notice to the superintendent of the child's school district of residence.
Unless your online accredited private or in-person private school files an annual notice of attendance as a private school to your local district treasurer, your private school is simply your curriculum choice, not a private school enrollment. Many times, in-person homeschool hybrid type programs advertise that they will file paperwork for you. Unless that program has filed as a legal Ohio private school, and as mentioned above, files a list of attendance to your local district treasurer, don't let your program leader send your home education exemption notice for you. YOU must do it. (Per section C noted above.)
No. There are no logs or tracking of hours in Ohio. We do not provide assurance of instruction, even if some websites use that incorrect language. It was specifically written as "home education" in our law, which can and does encompass all parts of life for your family; every life experience.
You do not need to track or log your home education experiences.
Even if you decide to log hours for your own information, this would just be for YOUR info, and the log should NOT be turned in to your district at the end of the year or with your next notification.
IF you do decide to log hours, be honest and log EVERY learning opportunity. Every conversation in the car or over the dinner table, every walk in the park. And good luck with keeping up with that! :)
No, Previous to October 2023, an annual assessment (typically a standardized test or a portfolio review) was required with a continued notification. This requirement has been removed from Ohio law.
If you choose to do an assessment for your own information or personal records, and this is wise to do periodically, the report/results should be kept by you and not sent in anywhere. No school/superintendent/county educational office is permitted ask for a copy of an assessment.
If you choose to do an assessment for your own records, understand that assessment is just to get feedback and support, and to keep records of progress. Assessments do not "promote" your child to a new grade. There are no grade levels reported in Ohio homeschool law. If you choose to use grade labels in your home, this is for your own private use.
Standardized tests do not look for grade content mastery. They are comparison tests to other children the same age. If you wish to use a standardized test, there is great list of possibilities, including where to purchase the test and the requirements for the test, at this website:
Homeschool Roadmap List of Standardized Tests
A portfolio review can be extremely helpful and encouraging. Sometimes when you see the day to day details, it's helpful to have someone on your side who can remind you of the big picture or provide suggestions or encouragement. Every assessor has different expectations on what he or she will want to review. It is best to interview and find an assessor first, and ask the assessor what materials he or she will be expecting to see. Some assessors are more traditional in their approach, and some are experts in doing assessments for unschoolers and will be able to do an assessment based on far more untraditional methods than you might expect. It just depends on the individual assessor. You should be wary of choosing an assessor from a list provided to you by the schools. (The assessors listed might be wonderful homeschool assessors, or they might not.) Homeschooling families who wish to do a portfolio assessment for their records are best served by finding an assessor who is a homeschool parent themselves; someone who is experienced in and is an advocate for homeschooling. We have a list of assessors who have been interviewed by OHP and vetted as homeschool advocates, if you would like a place to start your search. Assessors on this list have to meet certain qualifications and go through an interview process before OHP adds them to the list. Neither OHP nor the assessors are paid for their listing; this is simply a service to homeschoolers who are looking for a homeschool-advocate teacher for feedback, encouragement, or an outside view.
Remember, we show NO proof of anything on our notification. If you choose to do an assessment, it is for your own information or records only. It can't be asked for by a school or to prove a high school diploma. A good assessment is not about "proof" or showing completed curricula or bringing in stacks of workbooks. You don't pass or fail or get called a new grade label. If the assessor you hire compares your child to state standards, demands proof of completed workbooks or curriculum, wants a log of hours, or says your child "passed" and says they have been promoted to a new grade, that assessor doesn't know Ohio homeschooling laws and has no business doing a homeschooling assessment.
A portfolio assessment should be a time of encouragement -- it's not a time for being judged. Use the recommended assessors list. Don't go to a current classroom teacher who only understands the word "assessment" in a school way of thinking.
If your student has graduated, or you have moved to a new state, you will not send in an assessment. Each state has its own requirements but none require an assessment from a previous state. You can still do one and keep it for your records, but it is NOT sent in anywhere.
If you are enrolling in school, the superintendent MIGHT request an assessment done as part of the enrollment or placement process into their school.
No. Unless you are pulling your child from Kindergarten mid-year (see Question #10), you will not notify until the start of the NEXT school year. Even if your child’s birthday is the next day after school starts in your district.
If your child has a birthday around August or September, it is a good idea to check to see when school starts in your district for the year he or she will turn 6. If your child will be age 6 on or before that date, then you need to notify. If not, you will wait to notify until the next school year.
No, if you are pulling a preschool age child from public school preschool program, you do NOT notify for that child. Even if he or she is in a public school-funded program, it does not “count” as being in enrolled in the system. Just withdraw your preschooler in the school office (no need to try to explain your homeschooling decision or future plans) and start having fun at home.
If you are pulling a Kindergarten child from public school kindergarten, AND school has already started, then unfortunately even if they are under the compulsory age of 6, enrolling a child into public school Kindergarten makes them compulsory age, and you will need to send in a homeschool exemption notification to withdraw them from the system (see the Primer for the How-to on that).
If your child has never been in public school kindergarten, then you will NOT need to notify for homeschooling until your child is compulsory age (6 by the first day of school in your school district.)
No, if your child has not yet attended the first day of school, then your child is NOT YET compulsory, even though you registered for him or her.
As the parent, you can decide to keep your child home simply by calling the superintendent's office and letting them know you have changed your mind. This is often called "red-shirting", and many people do it even when they have no intention of later homeschooling, because they decide their 5 year old is just not ready. Do not mention that you are homeschooling - there is no need to open that can of worms with office staff that does not understand homeschooling laws. Simply tell them them you have decided to "red-shirt" your 5 year old this year.
There is no approved curriculum list for Ohio. Curriculum choices – if you even decide to use curricula- are completely up to you as the parent, and the state is not allowed to approve or deny any curriculum choices. That leaves the choices completely up to you – which is a wonderful thing, but can also be frightening for all the choices out there! Where to start? Thirty years ago, homeschoolers had much more limited choices, and many of them homeschooled with nothing other than a library card (and a Bible, if they were Christians). Now, the possibilities are endless.
Here are some good starting places to investigate curriculum and learning styles:
Homeschool Resource Roadmap, which lists a free database of multiple thousands of curriculum choices, along with the curriculum or resource’s stance on Common Core.
An additional part of the website is the Rest Stop: How-To Helps page, which contains many useful articles for getting started with curriculum, including: “How to Choose Curriculum”, “Is the Perfect Curriculum Out there?” and “What About Grade Level?”
Cathy Duffy’s books and website
Starting Out Right at Home: Important information about de-schooling (often confused with “unschooling”, but it’s not the same thing). It’s best to not jump right from a school situation directly to a curriculum, as doing so most often leads to burn out, by both parent and child. This is caused by trying to recreate a stressful situation right in the home – only with the added stress of you having a much deeper vested interested in the success of your children than even the best classroom teacher. Before investing time and money into curriculum, read the info on that website!
Home Learning Year by Year, by Rebecca Rupp (non-affiliated Amazon link) - Suggested lists of topics and subjects to cover. Remember that there is no set curriculum you need to follow, whether in regards to “what your child should know”, or as it relates to the state; this is only one possibility, just as public school scopes and sequences are decided (and change about twice every generation). Available as a book only; check your library or bookstore or Amazon.
Also, see the Homeschooling Resources page on this site for a list of helpful books.
If we plan to re-enroll later, how can I keep up with state standards?
There are some common scope and sequence lists available, including:
Typical Scope and Sequence (World Book)
Ohio's Learning Standards (ODE)
There are lots of resources for beginning the curriculum search on the Homeschooling Resources page of this site, and the question above.
Here is a downloadable list of common/popular curriculum companies (this is also available on the Homeschooling Resources page).
However, understand that one of the strengths of home education is that you can teach to your child's strengths and work specifically on weaknesses - you do not need to stay in the box just because that's how schools are forced to teach since they have to shoot for the middle and hope something sticks for most kids. It's better to not focus too hard on staying in that one-sized-fits-none, standardized box, and take this time to truly have the best "individual education plan" possible, even if you are planning on it being temporary.
State standards are a *minimum* standard, providing a minimal education. You can do so much more than that when you are teaching an individual instead of a classroom of 30. If you later go to enroll, your child will be leaps ahead of where he or she would be in school. So don't worry about it. Teach your individual child. You'll do fine.
Do I need to follow public school/state graduation requirements?
No. The parent or legal guardian, as the legal administrator of their homeschool, has the authority to make all graduation requirements and course/curricula plans for their students. This can look like public school requirements, or it can look like a unique, individually tailored plan for their one of a kind student, or anywhere in between. All choices are yours.
Do homeschoolers take the Ohio Graduation Test?
No. Homeschoolers do not take OGTs or any other public school test.
How do my homeschoolers get a diploma?
You simply print one or have one printed. There are lots of places online to do this including free online templates or you can print one from home. The parent or legal guardian, as the legal administrator of their homeschool, has the authority to issue a diploma from THEIR school. One good resource, used by many homeschoolers, is HomeschoolDiploma.com (This is just a resource link; OHP does not take affiliate links or offer any guarantees on the company.)
Does my homeschool senior need to take a GED after graduation?
A GED is not required, nor is it considered even ideal, to be obtained, as a GED signifies no high school completion, and a homeschool graduate *has* completed a high school education. Colleges have time and again recognized the validity of a homeschool education, and have in recent years actively recruited homeschool graduates. You, as the legal administrator of your legal homeschool, set the graduation requirements for your school. We are not bound to any of the ODE’s graduation requirements (including course of study or graduation tests), as those are set for public schools only. Once your child has fulfilled the requirements that YOU set for YOUR school, YOU can decide to issue your child a diploma.
A homeschool diploma (issued by the parent) is equally valid and legal under Ohio law as any other school diploma. (See below for more specific info about the Diploma Fairness Law.)
Do I need to enroll in an "accredited" school? What about "accredited" curriculum?
Enrolling in an “accredited” school is not necessary and accredited curriculum is a myth.
No curriculum, anywhere, in any school, even public or private schools, is accredited. Only schools, not curriculum, can be accredited, and under the college level, "accredited" homeschool programs are largely just feel-good marketing to frightened homeschoolers, at a significant price. (Many public schools are not accredited, but no one bothers to ask.)
How will they be accepted into college after homeschooling high school?
Most families follow a general course of study, and often, the best thing to do for a college-bound student, is to investigate the entrance requirements for the college or colleges he or she is considering, and gear your high school program toward that goal. This is just for your use, however- there is no specific course of study which must be adhered to in order to receive a high school graduation diploma. For college acceptance, your diploma (which is a ceremonial document) is of little importance. What most colleges will be looking for are high school transcripts (which you can also legally write) and college entrance exams.
Homeschoolers are typically heavily recruited by colleges, because they have proven more successful in college than average students. Homeschooled graduates tend to already be independent learners who are used to thinking outside the box, both of which are prized in the college environment.
For more information on homeschool high school programs and college acceptance, we recommend checking out Lee Binz’ website called The Home Scholar/Home High School Help.
AGAIN, a homeschool diploma is EQUAL in validity under Ohio law.
A high school diploma is simply a ceremonial document that attests to the fact that he or she has completed your legal homeschool’s high school requirements (see the explanation in the last question). You have always been legally allowed to issue your own diploma (either print your own at home, or use a diploma printing service). You are the school. You are the administration of your school. It is your right to create and print your own ceremonial document for your school.
Under the Diploma Fairness Law's changes as of October 2023, your diploma stands alone as equal and valid and no additional proof can be requested. IF the validity of your child’s high school diploma is challenged by a college or workplace, it is recommended to show them a copy of your diploma and a copy of the above linked law. This will show that under Ohio law, your diploma is as valid as a diploma from the school down the road. It does not make your ceremonial document any more legal than one printed for the school down the road.
Simply follow the steps outlined in the How to Homeschool in Ohio – Primer page. Notification goes to the local district superintendent only, not the online school. The day you send in your notification to your superintendent’s office, you can call or email the school or e-school and let them know your child is not continuing with the program. Ask for labels or anything else they need to send you to return their computers and other materials. You do not wait until your notification paperwork is processed to withdraw your child from the e-school; your child is already legally withdrawn and there is no wait time or approval process. (See question #5 above.)
You can fill out their "withdrawal" forms if you want, but it’s just a courtesy for them – the only legal document is your Ohio Exemption Notification, and this goes to your local district superintendent – NOT the charter/e-school. Do not feel like you need to provide any information other than that your child is being withdrawn. They do not NEED to know that you are homeschooling, and they most certainly do not need to know your curriculum choices. Write "N/A" through any request for such information.
Remember, Ohio is a notification state, not an approval state, and there is NO wait time, despite what the staff of the school or e-school might try to say. Once you have sent in your notification (send it certified with return signature receipt, as stated in the Primer), you can keep your children home and begin homeschooling the same day. (See the info above in #11 concerning curriculum choices.) If you continue receiving phone calls about absences, call the school to remind them that your children are no longer enrolled, ask them to contact the superintendent (who is sent your notification paperwork) if they have questions, and then you can ignore or block the number.
See the steps outlined above for withdrawing from an online/charter school. Notification goes to the local district superintendent only, not the open enrolled school.
The only thing you *should* do additionally, as a courtesy, is call after hours and leave a voice mail with your open enrolled school, letting them know you have notified to homeschool, and if they have any questions, to contact your local district superintendent. This is not a legal step, but simply helping the open enrolled school with navigating their own internal processes. There is no legal form for this, as it is just a courtesy.
Do not feel like you need to provide any information other than that your child is being withdrawn from the open enrolled school. They do not NEED to know that you are homeschooling, and they most certainly do not need to know your curriculum choices. If you want to fill out a withdrawal form instead of calling to leave a voice mail, write "N/A" through any request for such information.
See the steps outlined above for withdrawing from an online/charter school. Notification goes to the local district superintendent only, not the private school.
The only thing you should do additionally, as a courtesy, is fill out a withdraw notice/form with your private school. This is not a legal step, but simply helping the private school with navigating their own internal processes. There is no legal form this, as it is just a courtesy, but your private school should have this form to fill out.
Do not feel like you need to provide any information other than that your child is being withdrawn. They do not NEED to know that you are homeschooling, and they most certainly do not need to know your curriculum choices. Write "N/A" through any request for such information.
Nope. Never again. You can CHOOSE to do a standardized test for your records if you want to, and you can choose to have your child do a college entrance test in high school, but it is your choice. It is not required – not for annual assessment, not for third grade, not for high school graduation.
Welcome to real learning instead of teaching to a test!
First, testing is NEVER required in Ohio. You can do one for you own records (or a portfolio review) if you want. The ODE website publishes a list of “accepted tests” on their homeschooling information page, but that document is for enrollment into school programs, and not related to homeschooling. There is great list of possibilities, including where to purchase the test and the requirements for the test, at this website:
Homeschool Roadmap List of Standardized Tests
If you choose a test that allows the parent to administer the test, then you can administer the test. Some tests allow this, some do not. When testing, make sure the the scores always come to YOU, not sent to your school district.
This is highly discouraged by homeschooling advocates -- but often encouraged by schools. Why the difference?
Since the rise of common core, children within the public schools were being opted out of these tests because of data mining,
When you test at the school, the school gets the results, not the parent, so you lose the right to your child's data. There is NO reason why a school should have test results for students they don't educate. Unless you are enrolling your child into school and the superintendent requests testing for placement, never send your child to a school for their state testing.
Schools are trying to fill those empty testing seats abandoned by parents wisely opting their enrolled children out, by offering them “for free” to homeschoolers, because they get funding for every child in a testing seat. That ‘free’ dangling carrot is not worth the exchange of your child's data.
My school doesn't teach X subject for Y grade, so why do I need to find a curriculum for every one of those subjects?
Public school subject requirements don't apply to home education any more than public school testing or state testing requirements. We are our own educational entity and we make all decisions. YOU decide what you want to teach, and when.
We assure we will include certain topics within home education. We do not assure to "instruction" or "courses".
ORC 3321.042 (B), states the following:
A child receiving home education in the subject areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies is exempt from section 3321.04 of the Revised Code.
This means you will include those listed topics as a part of your home education for your child. This is not an assurance of classes, or courses, instruction, or textbooks, and those topics might not be included equally every year. You are simply, and literally, noting that it will include those topics. Remember that schools don’t have a class in government every year, but there will likely be a discussion about something that is happening in our local, state, or national government at some point, or your might go to see some historical landmark. That's all part of your home education. A topic/subject can be covered with a single conversation. Whether or not you have textbooks or courses each year, you actually WILL cover them: in field trips, museums, and real life.
But what SHOULD I teach?
Since you now know that all requirements are yours, and that there is no need to follow public school requirements for a private education, but can instead tailor your child's education to his or her specific needs - the best "individual education plan" possible - it sometimes gets overwhelming thinking about all the choices. If you are needing ideas on topics, a good resource to check is the Home Learning Year by Year book, by Rebecca Rupp. World Book also puts out a "typical" scope and sequence guide, as do many popular curriculum companies. Take a look at a few companies whose values mostly align with your own, and see what they suggest each year. That will give you a good starting place if you are feeling frustrated. But remember, you NEVER have to do a particular topic one year just because some curriculum guide schedules it. YOU are your child's educator, not a curriculum. Curriculum is just a tool - use the tool as needed, and then put it down and pick up another tool if the first is no longer useful.
There are lots more curriculum search links on question #11, above.
The Extracurricular Homeschooler Access law allows Ohio students who are homeschooling guaranteed access to public school extracurricular activities, such as sports. This is guaranteed access; they are *not* guaranteed a spot on the team. Homeschool students must try out and meet the same *non-academic* and *financial requirements* as other students.
Curricular, co-curricular (graded classes), and social activities excluded
This law does not include any class or activity that is graded, which usually includes bands and choirs. Graded classes, even "extra" classes, are considered curricular, or co-curricular. You might be able to get involved in these activities, but you would need to seek permission to join, as co-curricular class enrollment is entirely up to the discretion of your local superintendent. They can agree or deny participation to co-curriculars for any or no reason.
This law also does not include student social activities like school dances, which are often run by organizations like PTA, not the school itself, and could have its own insurance requirements. They MIGHT allow non-student guests, but they do not HAVE to allow it.
Eligibility Requirements
Extracurricular activities that DO follow under this law are NOT up to the discretion of the school superintendent or the school's opinion. They must be offered to a homeschooled student without prejudice. However, if your student participates, he or she needs to meet all non-academic and financial requirements as any other student. Note that this does include academic requirements, like a grade card. A school might try to insist that this includes sending in a report card of grades; however, Section C states the following:
(C) In order to participate in an extracurricular activity under this section, the student shall be of the appropriate age and grade level, as determined by the superintendent of the district, for the school that offers the extracurricular activity, and shall fulfill the same nonacademic and financial requirements as any other participant. If the student did not receive home education in the preceding grading period, the student's academic performance during the preceding grading period shall have met any academic standards for eligibility to participate in the program established by the school district.
The first phrase includes nonacademic requirements, which is to say the right age for the activity, and living within the district (unless your district does not offer the activity), and the financial requirement is that the homeschooler pays the same fees to play/participate as a public school student.
There is no academic requirement, like grade cards or testing, in the law. The only academic requirement noted is in regards to a student that did not receive home education in the preceding grading period; in other words, was recently enrolled in school and therefore only has school-given grades so far. In the case of a child previously enrolled in school, last year's report card fulfills this requirement. No such requirement exists for a student who is homeschooling and also received home education in the previous grading period.
Per sections (F) and (G), neither the school nor an interscholastic conference can impose any extra requirements or extra fees on a homeschooler. Many athletic directors, however, do try to insist on a submitted report card. If you wish to jump through the school's hoops to participate, a simple pass/fail report card can be written up on a basic document at home. Nothing "official" is needed to meet this request. (And as mentioned above, if you want to stand firm on the law, Ohio law is on your side that a district or athletic conference insisting that a report card is *not* in alignment with Ohio law.)
The Extracurricular Homeschooler Access law requires students to participate in their own local district, if such activity exists in you district.
Section (A) notes:
... the opportunity to participate in any extracurricular activity offered at the district school to which the student otherwise would be assigned during that school year... If a student who is afforded the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities under division (A) of this section wishes to participate in an activity that is offered by the district, the student shall not participate in that activity at another school or school district to which the student is not entitled to attend.
If the activity is not offered at your local district, but is offered at another district near you, you might be able to participate at that district, but you will need to ask that district's superintendent for permission -- and you can't request if your district DOES offer the activity.
Sports, Band, Orchestra, and other Extracurricular Activities Outside of Public Schools
It's also worth noting that many times, the same activities that can be obtained at a local school are also available within the homeschool community, so it is useful to check local homeschooling resources as well. Public schools do not have the market cornered on extracurricular - far from it! We maintain an extensive list of Homeschool Groups and Activities, arranged by area of the state, and homeschool dances are advertised all of the state, especially in the Spring.
Home educated minors do need to obtain a work permit to work during the usual school year, just as any other student. (No work permit is needed for summer work unless the student is under age 16.)
Work permits can be obtained at your local high school, or downloaded from the internet. You can choose to have the local district superintendent sign your work permit, or you as the parent can sign the work permit as the administrator of your school.
There is currently legislation pending (due to a law change in October 2023) to allow parents to sign their own work permits in the place of the school superintendent for students ages 16 and 17, however the process for filing this has not yet been worked out. In the meantime, you can either choose to leave the "superintendent" section blank, or just continue having the school district sign the permit for now. This section will be updated when we have more information.
Here is Ohio law on minor work permits:
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4109
Here is the work permit application, if you wish to download your own.
Here is the link to the physician's certificate which must also be signed to obtain the work permit.
Mail your exemption notification to the attention and address of your local district superintendent. The district can forward your paperwork on if they wish, to another office, but our responsibility is to follow the law; what they do with it once it arrives at their office is now their responsibility, and on their watch.
Since Ohio law states that the superintendent (not any other school employee) has 14 calendar days from his or her receipt of the notification to reply with the acknowledgement of his or her receipt of the exemption, it is VERY important that we send it to the local district superintendent only (certified and with signature receipt) so that we can know exactly what date it was received by the superintendent and by whom. If we send our notification to some other office, for the school's convenience, we will have no way of knowing when that other office sends it to the superintendent, and therefore no way of knowing when their 14 calendar day clock runs out.
The school could claim, even months later, that the superintendent just received your notification. Sending it to the local district superintendent only, despite a school's requests otherwise, protects your rights.
Yes. The letter of receipt of exemption from compulsory education MUST be signed by your local district superintendent, and no other school office worker. In 2014, Ohio Revised Code Section 3321.04 formerly noted the “city or exempted village school district or the educational service center.” However, the law was amended to read the “superintendent of the school district in which the child resides.”
Grade level placement and credit transfers (for high school) following home education are ultimately up to the school superintendent. However, Ohio law also notes the following:
ORC 3321.042 (D): A child that is being enrolled in a public school following any period of home education shall be placed in the appropriate grade level, without discrimination or prejudice, based on the policies of the child's district of residence.
Typically, the superintendent could look at three determining factors (based on guidelines under the old code, repealed Oct 2023, although these guidelines likely will still be used::
While parents can often provide input into the enrollment process, placement into their school is ultimately up to the superintendent.
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Please note, we are fellow homeschooling parents, not legal counsel. Information shared should not be taken as legal advice. We highly recommend being well-versed with the applicable administrative code and your rights to home educate. The regulation codes pertaining to Ohio homeschooling are linked on this page.