GUIDELINES FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES TO STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE HOME INSTRUCTION (HOME SCHOOLING)
General Requirements
1) Parents are not required to register their child in the public school if they plan to provide home instruction. However, the parent, if requested, must demonstrate that the child resides within the Brighton Central School District and is of compulsory attendance age.
2) School officials may request a meeting with parents to discuss the process of home schooling, but they may not deny parents the right to home instruct if the parents decline such a meeting.
3) The District is obligated to reply within ten (10) business days of receiving the notice of intent for home instruction by sending to the parents a copy of Commissioner's Regulation Section 100.10 and a form on which to submit an individualized home instruction plan (IHIP).
4) New York State law does not require any specific credentials for the person(s) providing home instruction.
5) A participant in interscholastic sports must be enrolled in the public school. However, children educated other than at the public school may not participate in intramural and other school-sponsored club activities (i.e., extracurricular activities) pursuant to Board of Education policy.
6) Home-instructed students may be allowed to use school facilities such as the library, career information center and gymnasium provided that there is mutual agreement on the part of all involved parties. Such use will be pursuant to Board of Education policy.
Students instructed at home are not required to meet the immunization requirements for in-school students pursuant to the provisions of Public Health Law Section 2164. If the Commissioner of Health notifies school officials of the outbreak of a disease for which immunization is required, however, parents of children on home instruction who seek to participate in testing or other activities on the premises of the public school must produce proof of immunization or the children must be denied access to the school building.
8) Although not obligated to do so, the District may allow parents or students on home instruction to borrow instructional items to the extent available from the public school such as library books, microscopes, computer software, and movie projectors. The loaning of such instructional items, as may be applicable, will be pursuant to Board policy.
9) In accordance with Education Law and Commissioner's Regulations, the District shall conduct a census and register of students with disabilities who reside in the District.
10) Students instructed at home may not participate in the instructional program of the Brighton Central School District except for special education services.
11) For home instructed students with disabilities, the District's Committee on Special Education (CSE) will develop an IESP in consideration of the parents' decision to home instruct their child.
- The parent must request special education services in writing to the Board of Education of the school district of location by June 1 preceding the school year for which the request is made.
- For a student first identified as a student with a disability after the first day of June of the preceding school year but prior to April 1 of the current school year, the written request must be submitted within thirty (30) days after first identification.
- For students who move to a new school district, the request may be submitted within thirty (30) days of the change of residence.
- Special education services will be provided to home-instructed students on an equitable basis as to students with disabilities attending public or nonpublic schools within the District.
- The Board of Education determines the location where special education services will be provided to home-instructed students, which could include the site of the home school.
- The District is not authorized to provide occupational and vocational education programs (career and technical education) and programs for the gifted to home-instructed students.
13) The District is not required to furnish health services to students on home instruction.
14) The District is not responsible for providing remedial programs for home-instructed students.
15) Summer school programs are open to all resident students of the District.
16) The Brighton Central School District may require home visits, upon three (3) days' written notice to the parents, only when the home instruction program is on probation. Under any other circumstances, the school official may request a home visit but the parent would not be required to consent to the request.
17) Parents are required to keep attendance records for each student, but there is no legal obligation for them to maintain any other records.
