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Sites for National, State, & Local Support

Some of the questions I see most often on newsgroups, e-mail lists, & message boards are related to local law, compliance, & finding support groups. I have put together this list of sites to make your research a little easier for you but there are a few things to keep in mind as you do so:

1. This one is the most important! You are responsible for knowing the law. Several of these boards do contain the law but you are better off double checking. Call your state board of education &, in most cases, they will send you a copy of the law. You can also see if your state has their laws on the web. For instance, NJ has them posted online as a branch of the local legislature. This is also a good place to check on any laws that are coming up in the future & to keep abreast of what is going on in your state.

2. You should get in touch with a state group as soon as possible. A statewide group can keep you in touch with what is going on in the legislature & courts, give you information on homeschooling in your state (for example, NJ puts out a legal guide that contains the law, ways to comply, & court decisions that affect us), help you hook up with a local support group, & let you know about specific statewide homeschool events such as curriculum fairs, homeschool days at parks & museums, etc.

3. Get in touch with a local group as soon as possible. Even if the group does not fit most of your needs, you will be able to find out how the local climate is in your district, what you may need to do to comply with that district, etc.

4. This is mostly my opinion but I'll state it. Unless you are in a particularly hostile area, don't hide! The hoops that the local government may put you through can sometimes be a annoying & seem ludicrous but if you hide, you give the semblance of guilt. Homeschooling IS legal in every state & there is no reason to hide what you are doing! Also, as our numbers grow, we will have less problems if everyone is just up front about it. If you are concerned about a possible problem, please sign up with a group such as the Homeschool Legal Defense Association before you start or sign up with a satellite school such as Chlonlara & let them handle the district.

There is a tug of war going on right now in my state as to whether to notify the district or not. Even though it is NOT specifically required by law since we are in a loophole here & don't really have any guidelines except to provide an equivalent education, sending in a letter of intent & supplying a copy of the curriculum upon request or with your letter has always been the simplest way to go. I know I am probably going to hear about this from some New Jerseyans but UNLESS you are signed up with the HSLDA, in which case you follow their directions, or are in a hostile area, just send in your letter. If you are concerned about equivalence, most districts can give you a copy of their curriculum for a copying fee. Otherwise, somewhere along the line, you may either end up in court or the legislature may decide to step in & come up with guidelines that are much more restrictive. There. I said my piece on the matter.

The sites listed on these pages are all area specific. On them, you can find out about support groups, curriculum fairs, the climate in the state, etc. I do not vouch for the accuracy of any of these boards, but they can be a good place to start your research. If a state has an * next to the name, I haven't been able to find a web page for them. If you know of any let me know and/or if you are from that state & have been considering doing a web page but aren't sure of a topic, you can always cover your own state. Until there are pages up for these states or if you don't find what you are looking for on your state pages, try Other Sites That List Support Groups.

I have added links to message boards & e-mail loops to the state group listings wherever I knew of any.