Washington State
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 2:34 pm
1. I am currently in a bit of a bind with where to go next in my intent to homeschool. All of the information that have found states that, in WA, a person who has already enrolled their children in public school must OFFICIALLY WITHDRAW them from said place of schooling. Now, what I don't see anywhere is, how is this done exactly? I mean, I am planning to enact this decision this week, so do I simply enter the office and state, "my kids are withdrawn now" or...?
Do I write a letter stating that decision? If so, who then do I give it to?
2. All of the information I have found (HSLDA, Laws for District, State, Fed, School itself, etc.), state that I must keep them enrolled or else they'll be considered truant and I'll be fined daily for that truancy...yet, if the superintendent deems it viable, they can be withdrawn with no recourse, so...do I go to the Superintendent's office and withdraw them there? The principal? The office ladies? Who has these forms? Do I even have to fill any forms out other than something I create stating my intent?
3. I received the Declaration of Intent in the post today, upon inspection I realized that it is asking for addresses, birth-dates, name of the school in my neighborhood, my telephone number, and their grade level...if I simply leave these blank (I can't now, I'd have to white-out because I recognized the issue too late), are they of an authority to DENY a Declaration I've made because my Declaration does not submit all of the information that they deem required? This is not an "application" of course, it is a "Declaration."
4. On the declaration, in the box asking if the home based instruction will or will not be supervised by a person certificated in WA state...would that be myself? Or, since I will not be using that method of having a certificated nstructor presdng over me, would I simply leave that area blank?
5. When it says that "this form must be filed annually by September 15th or within two weeks of the beginning of any public school quarter, trimester or semester," does this mean that, since I am declaring now, and the "semester" does not actually end until Jan. 25th, that I must calculate when the exact two weeks are before that offcial semester-end date and have the declaration arrive in their offices WITHIN that two-week window? Or, can I send it now and they will know automatically that my intention is for the Declaration to take effect when received and then I wll send another before Sept. 15 of next year? (again, it says WITHIN two weeks, does this simply mean before two weeks or does it actually mean that all of the Declarations of Intent, to be viewed as legitimate must arrive in their hands in the exact period of 14 days [do weekends count?] prior to the cut-off date?)
I do not wish to miss anything so that my intentions and plans are made abundantly clear to any who may threaten to question or usurp them on some perceived authority that I may have let slip by somewhere n the process...
6. Funds are waaay tight right now, is there any way to have HSLDA or comparable help without instant cost? Time is of the essence, I cannot have my kids coming home bawling, screaming, frightened and depressed like they are anymore, for weeks, months...it is not changing in the least, only becoming more pronounced and I honestly fear that if changes are not made this instant, it may be too far gone to rectify. It saddens me but my resolve is to turn this around a.s.a.p. and allow them to get on with their lives, their familial connections, and their spirit that is being simply defamed and persecuted through the horrific and inhumane situation that this method of "instruction" is imparting.
Thank you for any insights, moving forward with this as quickly as possible is top priority right now, everyone's simply losing too much sleep and life over it. Thanks.
Do I write a letter stating that decision? If so, who then do I give it to?
2. All of the information I have found (HSLDA, Laws for District, State, Fed, School itself, etc.), state that I must keep them enrolled or else they'll be considered truant and I'll be fined daily for that truancy...yet, if the superintendent deems it viable, they can be withdrawn with no recourse, so...do I go to the Superintendent's office and withdraw them there? The principal? The office ladies? Who has these forms? Do I even have to fill any forms out other than something I create stating my intent?
3. I received the Declaration of Intent in the post today, upon inspection I realized that it is asking for addresses, birth-dates, name of the school in my neighborhood, my telephone number, and their grade level...if I simply leave these blank (I can't now, I'd have to white-out because I recognized the issue too late), are they of an authority to DENY a Declaration I've made because my Declaration does not submit all of the information that they deem required? This is not an "application" of course, it is a "Declaration."
4. On the declaration, in the box asking if the home based instruction will or will not be supervised by a person certificated in WA state...would that be myself? Or, since I will not be using that method of having a certificated nstructor presdng over me, would I simply leave that area blank?
5. When it says that "this form must be filed annually by September 15th or within two weeks of the beginning of any public school quarter, trimester or semester," does this mean that, since I am declaring now, and the "semester" does not actually end until Jan. 25th, that I must calculate when the exact two weeks are before that offcial semester-end date and have the declaration arrive in their offices WITHIN that two-week window? Or, can I send it now and they will know automatically that my intention is for the Declaration to take effect when received and then I wll send another before Sept. 15 of next year? (again, it says WITHIN two weeks, does this simply mean before two weeks or does it actually mean that all of the Declarations of Intent, to be viewed as legitimate must arrive in their hands in the exact period of 14 days [do weekends count?] prior to the cut-off date?)
I do not wish to miss anything so that my intentions and plans are made abundantly clear to any who may threaten to question or usurp them on some perceived authority that I may have let slip by somewhere n the process...
6. Funds are waaay tight right now, is there any way to have HSLDA or comparable help without instant cost? Time is of the essence, I cannot have my kids coming home bawling, screaming, frightened and depressed like they are anymore, for weeks, months...it is not changing in the least, only becoming more pronounced and I honestly fear that if changes are not made this instant, it may be too far gone to rectify. It saddens me but my resolve is to turn this around a.s.a.p. and allow them to get on with their lives, their familial connections, and their spirit that is being simply defamed and persecuted through the horrific and inhumane situation that this method of "instruction" is imparting.
Thank you for any insights, moving forward with this as quickly as possible is top priority right now, everyone's simply losing too much sleep and life over it. Thanks.