Ohio State Requirements in Homeschooling

The law in Ohio that excuses students from compulsory attendance is the Ohio Administrative Code, Chapter 3301-34. Under this law, home education is defined as education that is directed by the parent/guardian of the child. The purpose of the law is to ensure that parent rights to homeschool their children are not violated. Before the homeschooling process begins, the parent/guardian must notify the superintendent in his/her child’s school district. Some school districts have forms that they use. As long as the following information is provided in a letter or other form of notification, parents do not have to use the school district forms. Information that needs to be provided in a form of notification to the superintendent before homeschooling begins includes: the school year, name of parent and address (telephone is optional), child's birth date, parent signature guaranteeing that the subjects listed in the Ohio Administrative Code will be part of homeschooling, outline of the curriculum that the parent plans to cover in the next year, a list of materials (textbooks, etc.) that the parent plans to use, parent signature guaranteeing that the child will be in home education for 900 hours during the upcoming school year, and finally assurance that the home instructor has a high school diploma or the equivalence of a high school diploma. Parents must also send an academic assessment to the superintendent from the previous school year. The academic assessment report needs to be one of two things: either the results of a nationally normed, standardized test or a written narrative. The written narrative should include samples of the student’s work. The superintendent must notify the parents within fourteen days of his/her decision.