Your Friendly Guide To
Arkansas Homeschooling Laws
Arkansas homeschooling laws are quite straightforward. If you are planning to start homeschooling in this state, or if you have already started but need a clear explanation on how homeschooling is done in Arkansas, you have come to the right place.
We won't bore you to sleep by reproducing verbatim the Arkansas Homeschooling Laws. If you are looking for a cure for insomnia, you have come to the wrong place. Instead, we have translated legalese into plain, simple English any sane human could understand. By reading this article, you should have the knowledge - we are keeping our fingers crossed - to embark on your Arkansas homeschooling journey without falling into any horrible legal pits that lawyers love (it keeps their pockets full) and everyone else hates. We will try to be as thorough as humanly possible.
Our article is necessarily long. We have covered all the important details you need to know. You don't want to face the wrath of the law. So, if you have to, please wash your face, run around the block 10 times to get your heart pumping, make a hot cup of coffee, and then start reading. By the end of this article, you should be an expert at Arkansas homeschooling laws and be able to recite them in your sleep. Subjects Required By Arkansas Homeschool Law Let's start with some good news. There are no subjects required by Arkansas homeschooling law. In other words, you can teach whatever subjects you want to teach your children, from Alchemy to Zoology.
Required Days of Instruction in Arkansas Another advantage of Arkansas homeschooling is that there is no law, unlike other states, that specifies the minimum number of days that you have to teach your children. You can teach your children for only one day per year, if you are inclined to. Of course you wouldn't want to do that. Tests for Arkansas Homeschoolers However, there is a catch - your children will have to sit for the same norm-referenced tests at the same grade levels as public school children. We will discuss this in detail later on. Your homeschooler's eligibility for local, state or federal funds in Arkansas Another disadvantage of Arkansas homeschooling is that your children are not eligible for local, state or federal funds. You have to fork out your own money for their education.
Procedure for Homeschooling in Arkansas for the First Time
All children between the ages of 5 and 17, on or before September 15 of that year, must attend school. However, Arkansas homeschooling is not hard to do. All you have to do is to visit the
Arkansas Department of Education
website and print the Notice of Intent and the Waiver Form. Or if you feel like it, you could make a visit to your local public school superintendent to get the forms.
Arkansas Homeschooling Waiver Form
It is a form that says that the State of Arkansas is not liable for the education of your children while they are being homeschooled. So if a homeschooling parent messes up the brains of his child, the State of Arkansas is not responsible for it, period.
Arkansas Homeschooling Notice of Intent
It is basically a form, required by Arkansas homeschooling law, which states that you intend to homeschool your child. You have to fill up the form with your child's name, date of birth, grade level, and the name and address of the school which your child last attended. It makes sense, doesn't it?Other information which you have to include is the address of your child's home school (most probably, your house), the curriculum and method of instruction (in brief - a 100 page report is not required), and scariest of all, your qualifications. What are the qualifications you need to have to teach your children? None.
Did I hear a sigh of relief? Anyone can teach his child as long as he (the teacher) doesn't belong in a prison or mental asylum. The Arkansas homeschooling laws were not enacted by dumb people. Oh, before I forget. If you don't want your children to take tests on Saturdays for religious reasons, please include that information in the Notice of Intent.
Submitting the Homeschooling Notice of Intent and the Waiver Form to the Superintendent in Arkansas
Fill up the forms and submit the original forms (keep photocopies for yourself) to the superintendent's office in person, if this is the first time you are homeschooling your kids. If your child will be taking the driver test, you will need to sign in front of a notary first. You have a deadline though. If you plan to start homeschooling by the fall semester, please submit the forms no later than August 15. If you want to start homeschooling in spring, then the deadline is December 15. The homeschooling laws in Arkansas are not too bad, are they? You have to submit the two forms every year but you only have to go to the superintendent's office in your first year.
Procedure for Starting Homeschooling in Arkansas in the Middle of the School Year
Planning to start homeschooling in the middle of the fall or spring semester? Arkansas homeschooling laws state that you have to submit the Notice of Intent and Waiver Form, as usual (see Procedure for Homeschooling for the First Time). Then you have to inform the superintendent of the date you submitted the 2 forms.
Your child may have to wait for up to 14 days from the date of submission before he or she can start homeschooling. It may seem like a terribly long time, but it will soon be over. Arkansas homeschooling laws have a clause for spoiled brats though. If your child has been up to no good, such as playing truant without proper explanation, setting fire to the janitor's cat or shooting the school mascot, then he has to face disciplinary action before he is allowed to homeschool.
It can take longer than 14 days unless your local school superintendent is kind enough to waive the waiting period. If you cooperate with the authorities instead of locking horns with them, then it can all lead to, hopefully, a heartwarming fairytale ending. Arkansas homeschooling is not prohibited here, just delayed.
What if I have just moved into an Arkansas School District from Yakutat?
Just in case you don't know where Yakutat is, it is a lovely but freezing cold city in Alaska, overcrowded with 808 people. First of all, take off all your winter clothes. Then within 30 days of moving into town, follow the steps in Procedure for Homeschooling for the First Time - which you will find above. That's it. Arkansas homeschooling laws are not there to bite you - in fact, they make life quite comfortable for homeschoolers.
Tests for Homeschoolers in Arkansas
Is the word test a spine-chilling word for you? I guess we can't have the cake and eat it too.
According to Arkansas homeschooling law, tests are a must for children from grades 3 to 9. If your child is no more than 2 years beyond the grade she is studying, then she is required to take the norm-referenced test that all public schoolers take for that grade. If your child refuses to take the test, she will have to face the wrath of the Arkansas homeschooling laws regarding truancy. Sorry, there is no way around it. Hope this cheers you up - the tests are free. If however, for some reason, you need alternative testing procedures, protocols, locations or time frames, you have to make your request to the education service cooperatives or the Pulaski County school districts at least 3 weeks before the testing window. If they approve it, you have to pay for the alternative testing procedure. The testing materials are still free though. The results will be mailed to you. Your child does not need to obtain a certain score to continue homeschooling. However, I don't know what they would say for a zero in the test. The lawmakers have perhaps forgotten to make provision for it in the Arkansas Homeschooling Laws.
What if I am homeschooling a special needs child in Arkansas?
There is nothing to worry. You won't be losing anything by homeschooling your disabled child. The State Board of Education has made it clear that school districts must provide a genuine opportunity for your child to access special education and related services. If your child is sitting for a norm-referenced test, she is eligible for any modifications allowed by the test procedures. Please inform the educational service cooperative (3 weeks before the testing window), and the director or his designee will approve it.
Sex and homeschooling in Arkansas
Now that I have caught your attention, let's look at an important detail of Arkansas homeschooling law.If a sex offender resides in your house, your child is not permitted to homeschool. I guess you won't ask me why - it should be self-evident to all non-perverts. If however, you insist that your child should be homeschooled, you may get, if you are lucky, a waiver from the sentencing court from this restriction. There is an interesting side note to this law. If the homeschooler is the sex offender, then go ahead - homeschool all you want.
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This is the end of our article on Arkansas Homeschooling Laws. We hope it has "legally" enlightened you.
Do you want to know why homeschooling is immensely popular? Would you like to avoid the pitfalls other unwary homeschooling parents are stumbling into? Please bookmark our homepage. We have other articles that we have written - or are in the process of writing - that you will need in your homeschooling journey. And we are adding more and more articles as time goes by. Our aim is to give you the knowledge to produce the best educational experience for your children. For a start, you might want to read our Pros and Cons of Homeschooling and download our Free Math Worksheets. Our Navigation Bar is located in the top left corner of every page. You might have to scroll up to find it. If you want to read the homeschooling laws of the other states, please click
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