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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii.
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.
What's Popular
§8-12-15 Record of curriculum.
The parent submitting a notice of intent to home school shall keep a record of the planned curriculum for the child. The curriculum shall be structured and based on educational objectives as well as the needs of the child, be cumulative and sequential, provide a range of up-to-date knowledge and needed skills, and take into account the interests, needs and abilities of the child. The record of the planned curriculum should include the following:
(1) The commencement date and ending date of the ...
Home Schooling
Short summary of the homeschooling laws issued by the Hawaii Department of Education.
Exceptions to Compulsory Education
Form issued by the State of Hawai'i Department of Education.
§8-12-19 Instructional personnel of home-schooled children.
A parent teaching the parent's child at home shall be deemed a qualified instructor.
§8-12-16 Notification of termination of home schooling.
The parent shall notify the principal if home schooling is terminated. A child shall be reenrolled in the local public school or licensed private school unless a new alternative educational program is presented within five school days after the termination of home schooling.
Hawaii State Board of Education
The Hawaii State Board of Education has a dual mission: (1) to set education policies for the public school system, adopt student performance standards and the means to assess them, and monitor school success in order to enable all public school students to acquire the knowledge, skills, respect for learning and attributes necessary for life-long learning and productive and responsible citizenship, and (2) to set policies and standards for the public library system and monitor progress toward th...
Hawai'i Regulations
Hawai'i has a state-run public school system. The rules governing homeschooling in Hawai'i are found in Chapter 12, "Compulsory Attendance Exceptions" of the Hawai'i Administrative Rules for the Department of Education. In particular, see sections 8-12-1 through 8-12-4 and 8-12-13 through 8-12-22. Read the rules and refer to them when dealing with school officials. Most of the problems that arise between parents and school officials are due to simple misunderstanding of the administrative rules....
Hawaii Department of Education
The website for the Hawaii Department of Education.
§8-12-21 High school diploma for home-schooled children.
A home-schooled child who wants to earn a high school diploma from the local public high school shall attend high school for a minimum of three full years to meet the twenty credit requirement for graduation. Satisfactory performance on the Hawaii State Test of Essential Competencies (HSTEC) is also required.
(b) A home-schooled child who wants to earn a high school diploma from the community school for adults shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Be at least seventeen years of age, e...
§8-12-12 College entrance examination alternative education.
A child in an alternative educational program may participate in any college entrance examination which is made available to all other students.
Chapter 12 Home Schooling Guidelines
This Department of Education publication is intended to provide a summary of the laws and regulations governing home education in the state of Hawaii.
§8-12-18 Testing and progress reports of home-schooled children.
(a) Test scores shall be required for grades identified in the Statewide Testing Program, grades three, six, eight, and ten. A child is eligible to participate in the Statewide Testing Program at the local public school. The parent is responsible for securing necessary details from the principal of the local public school. The parent may elect to arrange for private testing at the parent's own expense. The tests used shall be comparable to the appropriate criterion or norm-referenced tests used ...
§8-12-13 Notification of intent to home school.
(a) The parent shall provide the local public school principal with a notice of intent to home educate the child before initiating home schooling. The purpose of notification is to allow the department, upon request of the parent, to assist in the educational efforts. The notice of intent may be submitted on a department developed form (Form OIS-4140) or in a letter containing the following items:
(1) Name, address, and telephone number of the child;
(2) Birthdate and grade level of the ch...
§8-12-14 Required statutory services.
All educational and related services statutorily mandated shall be made available at the home public school site to home-schooled children who have been evaluated and certified as needing educational and related services and who request the services.
§8-12-17 Educational neglect.
If there is reasonable cause for the principal to believe that there is educational neglect, the department in compliance with §298-9, Hawaii Revised Statutes, shall intervene and take appropriate action in accordance with established departmental procedures. Reasonable cause for educational neglect shall not be based on the refusal of parents to comply with any requests which exceed the requirements of this chapter.
Looking for Another State?
Featured Resources
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this site.
Idea Book For Cuisenaire Rods At The Primary Level
Grades K-4. Each 120 page book contains worksheets and has selected activities that cover the major math standards. Each page outlines the grade level, materials needed, settings, learning experiences, and are based on NCTM Standards.
Christian Unschooling : Growing Your Children in the Freedom of Christ
Is unschooling incompatible with Christianity? Elissa Wahl and Teri Brown argue that they are not incompatible, but complementary. Unschooling offers a different path to learning. This book explains what unschooling is (and isn't) and offers support ...
Home Education: A Homeschooling Classic
Home Education consists of six lectures by Charlotte Mason about the raising and educating of young children (up to the age of nine), for parents and teachers. She encourages us to spend a lot of time outdoors, immersed in nature and handling natural...
TruthQuest History
The TruthQuest History series consists of ten volumes that serve as guides for parent wishing to use real books in their approach to history education. They are full of book recommendations, along with information on the topics of study. There are al...
Pass Your California DMV Test Guaranteed! 50 Real Test Questions! California DMV Handbook
This book contains the 50 most common questions and answers to the California DMV Written Test. Written by a former DMV classroom instructor and test creator, this straight forward book tells you the most likely questions and answers that will appear...