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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska.
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 Home School Laws
The Home School Legal Defense Association provides a brief summary of the homeschooling laws in Colorado. Includes a link to a legal analysis of laws relating to homeschooling in Colorado.
79-1604 Private, denominational, or parochial schools; management and control.
For the purposes of sections 79-1601 to
79-1607, the owner or governing board of any private,
denominational, or parochial school shall have authority to
select and purchase textbooks, equipment, and supplies, to employ
teachers, and to have and exercise the general management of the
school, subject to the provisions of such sections.
House Joint Resolution 05-1040
Recognition of April 8, 2005, as Home Education Day in Colorado.
How to Withdraw Your Child from School in Colorado
If you want to start homeschooling during the school year and your child is currently enrolled in a public or private school, you may formally withdraw your child from that school. If you are going to start homeschooling after the school year is over, and your child is considered enrolled for the following year, we recommend that you withdraw your child before the next school year begins, so that the school does not mark your child as absent or truant.
Rule 12
Regulations and procedures for exempting schools for which parents elect not to meet legal requirements for school approval and accreditation for other than religious reasons. Rule 12 affidavits state that the requirements for school approval and accreditation required by law interfere with the decisions of the parents or legal guardians in directing their child's education.
79-211 Minimum school term.
The school term shall not be less than (1) one
thousand thirty-two instructional hours for elementary grades and
(2) one thousand eighty instructional hours for high school
grades in any public school district or private, denominational,
or parochial school. If any district which receives twenty
percent or more of its total receipts for general fund purposes
from federal sources fails to actually receive receipts
anticipated at the time of the adoption of the sc...
Colorado Statute 25-4-902
Details of the state of Colorado requirements for immunizations.
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.
79-1606 Private, denominational, or parochial schools; nonconformity with school law; penalty.
In case any private, denominational, or
parochial school, after a final determination by the proper
authorities under sections 79-1601 to 79-1607, fails, refuses, or
neglects to conform to and comply with such sections, no person
shall be granted or allowed a certificate to teach in such school
and the pupils attending such school shall be required to attend
the public school of the proper district as provided by law in
like manner as though there were no such private, den...
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).
Synopsis of Nebraska Education Statutes Applicable to Home Education
This summary of the statutes relating to home education are provided by Nebraska Christian Home Educators Association (NCHEA).
Northern Colorado Homeschool Association
Northern Colorado Homeschool Association (NCHA) is a non-profit group for homeschooling parents and children of all ages. The majority of our families live along the Northern Colorado Front Range (Fort Collins, Windsor, Loveland Area). We are an inclusive, secular, eclectic, local, member-run organization that honors the diversity of homeschoolers and provides a supportive community for our members.
Colorado Statute 25-4-903 - Exemptions from Immunization - Rules
Regulations concerning exemptions from required immunizations in the state of Colorado.
79-1605 Private, denominational, or parochial schools; inspection by public school official; when required.
The superintendent of the high school
district and its affiliated territory in which any private,
denominational, or parochial school is located, which school is
not otherwise inspected by an area or diocesan representative
holding a Nebraska certificate to administer, shall inspect such
schools and report to the proper officers any evidence of failure
to observe any of the provisions of sections 79-1601 to 79-1607.
The Commissioner of Education, when in his or her j...
79-1601 Private, denominational, or parochial schools, teachers, and employees; laws applicable; election not to meet accreditation or approval requirements.
(1) Except as provided in subsections (2)
through (6) of this section, all private, denominational, and
parochial schools in the State of Nebraska and all teachers
employed or giving instruction in such schools shall be subject
to and governed by the provisions of the general school laws of
the state so far as the same apply to grades, qualifications, and
certification of teachers and promotion of pupils. All private,
denominational, and parochial schools shall ha...
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Featured Resources
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Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book Of Homeschooling
The classic work on teaching children at home, updated for today's new laws, new lifestyles, and a new generation of homeschooling parents. Today more than one and a half million children are being taught at home by their own parents. In this expand...
Minds More Awake: The Vison of Charlotte Mason
Anne E. White explores what is known as the Charlotte Mason, based on the educational philosophy of the 19th century British educator. The goal is to set a child on the path to an intentional, purposeful life. White explores both the practical and ph...
Morning by Morning : How We Home-Schooled Our African-American Sons to the Ivy League
Home schooling has long been regarded as a last resort, particularly by African-American families. But in this inspirational and practical memoir, Paula Penn-Nabrit shares her intimate experiences of home-schooling her three sons, Charles, Damon, and...
The Exhausted School: Bending the Bars of Traditional Education
These 13 essays, presented at the 1993 National Grassroots Speakout on the Right to School Choice, illustrate how education reform actually works. Written by award-winning teachers and their students, these essays present successful teaching methods ...
Create! Press
Create! Press carries creative approaches to teaching creative writing and composition. Their products include the Create-A-Story game, Writing Adventures, Stepping Stones, and more.