December 19, 2005
Michigan School District Makes Unusual Demand
A member family in Michigan recently started homeschooling after withdrawing their children from the West Village Academy, a public charter school in Wayne County. The family provided the school with a written notice that the children were being withdrawn and would be homeschooled. However, the school district did not accept the written withdrawal and told the mother that until someone at West Village Academy requested the daughter's records, which would remove the child from the jurisdiction of the charter school, the school would have to consider the daughter truant. This action placed the family in a difficult position, since they were not able to make a clean break from the public school.
Undaunted, the family began homeschooling as planned. They found curriculum and settled into a new family schedule.
Home School Legal Defense Association Senior Counsel Chris Klicka sent a letter to the school, explaining the law and demanding that the school stop any truancy proceeding. Klicka instructed the school that under Michigan's option (f), a family is able to begin homeschooling after they have given notice in writing. There is no reason for the school to threaten the family with truancy.
Thankfully, the family is continuing to homeschool and has had no contact from either the school or from truancy officers.
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