Legal/Homeschool Laws
Laws that regulate home education vary from state to state. It is important to understand the legal requirements in your state and to be aware of legislative and other legal issues that affect homeschoolers in your community. We've compiled resources that will help you become informed. Although homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, and the vast majority of homeschoolers face no problems, you may find that you need legal assistance at some point in your homeschooling career. We've compiled a list of resources to help you find the support you need. And if you'd like to become more involved in working towards homeschooling freedoms, we discuss some of the issues facing homeschoolers that we hope you find compelling.
State Laws
Read the laws regulating home education in Utah and browse through the case law and legal opinions relating to those laws, along with government publications relating to homeschooling and summaries of the laws.
Forms
Which forms do you need to fill out? Where can you get them? Here is a list of useful forms for homeschooling in Utah.
Legal Support
If you need legal information or have run into a legal situation regarding your decision to homeschool, these resources will be helpful.
Lobbying Groups
A listing of local and national lobbying groups and information on how you can become involved in the political process to ensure the freedom to homeschool is protected.
Attorneys
When searching for an attorney, it is helpful to know whether he or she has experience working with homeschoolers and is interested in protecting the right to homeschool.
Legal Issues
Is homeschooling legal? Which laws pertain to homeschoolers and which don't? How do homeschoolers protect their rights to freely educate their children and to preserve their privacy?
Government Resources
A listing of local and state government resources, including your state's Department of Education, school districts, and Senate and House of Representative information.
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Colorado Statute 22-32-116.5
Extracurricular and interscholastic activities. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, each school district and each public school, subject to the requirements of this section, shall allow any student enrolled in a school or participating in a nonpublic home-based educational program to participate on an equal basis in any activity offered by the school district or the public school that is not offered at the student's school of attendance or through the student's nonpublic home-ba...
Compulsory School Age in Colorado
Colorado law requires that every child who is 6 years old on or before August 1 of the current school year, and under the age of 17, must attend school. If a homeschool is operating under Colorado’s home education statute (Option 1), the parents may wait to begin actual instruction until their child is 7 years old; however, they must still submit a notice of intent beginning with the school year that the child turns 6 by August 1.
Utah Homeschool Politics
This list was design to provide a forum to Utah homeschoolers to discuss politics that effect them in one way or another.
Utah Home School Laws from HSLDA
The Home School Legal Defense Association provides a brief summary of the homeschooling laws in Utah. Includes a link to a legal analysis of laws relating to homeschooling in Utah.
53A-11-101. Responsibility for minor required to attend school -- Penalty for violation.
... (2) A parent shall enroll and send a school-age minor to a public or regularly established private school during the school year of the district in which the minor resides.
(3) It is a class B misdemeanor for a parent to knowingly:
(a) fail to enroll a school-age minor in school; or
(b) refuse to respond to a written request which is delivered to the parent pursuant to the provisions of Subsection 53A-11-103(1)(b) by a local school board or school district.
(4) The pr...
Colorado Statute 25-4-902
Details of the state of Colorado requirements for immunizations.
How to Comply with Colorado's Homeschool Law
In Colorado, there are three options under which you can legally homeschool. You are free to choose the option that best meets your family’s needs. These options include homeschooling under Colorado's homeschool statute, homeschooling with an independent school, and homeschooling with a certified teacher.
Rule R277-700. The Elementary and Secondary School Core Curriculum.
This rule addresses core curriculum, including standards and objectives, elementary, middle school, and high school education requirements, and student mastery and assessment.
Colorado Statute 25-4-901
This statute relates to state of Colorado school entry immunization requirements.
Colorado Statutes - Complete Text
Online access to complete text of Colorado statutes. Those pertaining to home education include: 22-33-104 (Compulsory school attendance); 22-33-104.5 (Home-based education - legislative declaration - definitions - guidelines); 22-7-409, 1.2-d-III (Assessments); and 22-32-116.5 (Extracurricular and interscholastic activities).
Homeschoolers Protected by New Utah Law
A bill shielding homeschooling parents from requirements that they meet state credential standards and give public school officials records of what they teach passed unanimously in both houses of the Utah legislature in February 2005. Senate Bill 59, sponsored by freshman Sen. Mark Madsen (R-Lehi), also prevents school boards from requiring homeschool students to take standardized tests.
Colorado Homeschool Law - A Summary
A look at the statutes governing homeschooling in Colorado, provided by Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC). This explanation details the three options to homeschool your children in the state of Colorado.
53A-11-102. Minors exempt from school attendance.
... (2) (a) On an annual basis, a school-age minor shall be excused from attendance by a local board of education and a parent exempted from application of Subsections 53A-11-101(2) and (3), if the minor's parent files a signed affidavit with the minor's school district of residence, as defined in Section 53A-2-201, that the minor will attend a home school and receive instruction as required by Subsection (2)(b).
(b) Each minor who attends a home school shall receive instruction:
(i)...
State of Utah Office of Education (USOE)
The website for the state Department of Education, the State of Utah Office of Education (USOE).
Colorado Statute 25-4-903 - Exemptions from Immunization - Rules
Regulations concerning exemptions from required immunizations in the state of Colorado.
Looking for Another State?
Featured Resources
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So You're Thinking About Homeschooling: Fifteen Families Show How You Can Do It
Confused and intimidated by the complexities of homeschooling, many sincere parents never get past the "thinking about it" stage. Now Lisa Whelchel - herself a homeschooling mother of three - introduces fifteen real families and shows how they overc...
Great Lodges of the National Parks: The Companion Book to the PBS Television Series
Stand amid soaring Douglas fir in the great hall of Glacier Park Lodge or sit in the setting sun and gaze into the Grand Canyon at El Tovar. This beautiful gift book will transport you to the majestic lodges of our national parks to relive the glory ...
Explode The Code
Explode The Code provides a sequential, systematic approach to phonics in which students blend sounds to build vocabulary and read words, phrases, sentences, and stories. Frequent review of previously learned concepts helps increase retention. Each w...
Greenleaf Press
Greenleaf Press is a small family-owned and operated publisher and supplier of quality books for children. They are committed to "twaddle-free", living books, and approach teaching history to children using biography and chronology. You will find sec...
Homeschooling: The Teen Years : Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 13- to 18- Year-Old (Prima Home Learning Library)
The teen years are when many homeschooling parents start to question or abandon their efforts. It's a precarious time, with challenging academics, pressing social issues, and the prospect of college looming. Parents can now breathe easy: this guide c...