The District recognizes that families with students of compulsory attendance age may select alternative forms of education outside the traditional school setting, including private instruction. In the event a child of compulsory attendance age, as defined by law, does not attend public school or an accredited nonpublic school, the applicable legal requirements for other forms of private instruction must be followed.
Unless otherwise exempted, the child must receive private instruction, which is instruction that uses a plan and a course of study in a setting other than a public or organized accredited nonpublic school. Private instruction includes competent private instruction, which includes two options for delivery of instruction, and independent private instruction, which includes one option for delivery of instruction.
Competent private instruction is private instruction that is provided on a daily basis for at least one hundred forty-eight (148) days during a school year, to be met by attendance for at least thirty-seven (37) days each school quarter, and which results in the student making adequate progress. Competent private instruction is provided by or under the supervision of a licensed practitioner or by other individuals identified in law. Students receiving competent private instruction are eligible for dual enrollment into their resident school district. Students receiving competent private instruction are also eligible for open enrollment into another school district.
A parent choosing competent private instruction for a student must notify the school district prior to the first day of school on forms provided by the school district. The forms are available in the central administration office. One copy of the completed forms will be kept by the school district and another copy will be forwarded to the area education agency.
Independent private instruction is private instruction that meets the following criteria:
- is not accredited;
- enrolls not more than four unrelated students;
- does not charge tuition, fees or other remuneration for instruction;
- provides private or religious-based instruction as its primary purpose;
- provides enrolled students with instruction in mathematics, reading and language arts, science, and social studies;
- provides, upon written request from the Superintendent of the school district in which the independent private instruction is provided or from the Director of the Department of Education, a report identifying the primary instructor, location, name of the authority responsible for the independent private instruction, and the names of the students enrolled;
- is not a nonpublic school and does not provide competent private instruction as defined herein; and
- is exempt from all state statutes and administrative rules applicable to a school, a school board or a school district, except as otherwise provided by law.
(June 22, 1981; April 17, 1989; June 15, 1992; July 7, 2003; February 21, 2011; July 9, 2012; January 19, 2015; October 21, 2019)