October 5, 2005
Wisconsin School District Mandates False Deadline
Recently, the Kiel Area School District sent a letter to all homeschoolers residing in the district. In the letter, the superintendent stated that homeschoolers would need to submit their "paperwork" to the Department of Public Instruction prior to September 1, 2005.
However, in Wisconsin, homeschoolers do not need to submit their form until October 15. The stated reason for this early filing was that the "state holds school districts accountable for school attendance and we are required to check the school status of children residing in the district."
However, it is probable that the school district was seeking to use the early filings to obtain funding from the state by including homeschoolers in the count of children in the district. HSLDA became aware of this situation when a member family forwarded a copy of this form to our office.
HSLDA Attorney Chris Klicka promptly wrote a letter to the school district demanding that they revise their form so that in the future it would not mislead homeschoolers into believing they are required to submit their statements of enrollment by September 1.
Homeschoolers in Wisconsin do not need to file until October 15. If your school district is requiring you to file early, please be aware of the actual deadline required by law.
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