YOU ARE HERE: HOME > REGIONAL > LOUISIANA OR LEGALITIES > LOUISIANA HOMESCHOOLING LAWS

A to Z Home's Cool Home Page


Homeschooling books and supplies at discount, no sales tax, and now free shipping!

A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling

 

Laws & Legalities

I am Ann Zeise, your guide to the best and most interesting and useful sites and articles about home education on the web.

 
A to Z Home's Cool Web

Home ~ Recent Articles ~ A2Z Yahoo Groups ~ Chat ~ Contact Ann Zeise ~ Curriculum Shopping
Site Index: A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Louisiana Homeschooling

Associations
Events
Legal Information
Online
Resources
Support Groups
Support Group Lists

A to Z Home's Cool

Home
Articles
Beginning to Homeschool
Chat Room
Community Networking
Concerns
Curriculum Shopping
Distance Learning Programs
DVD Rentals
Early Years
Events
Explorations 4 Kids
Field Trips
Gifted Kids
Holiday Directory
Homeschooling Jokes
Laws & Legalities
Lessons & Ideas
Methods & Styles
Regional Information
Religion & Cultural
Special Needs
Support Group Resources
Teens & College-Bound
Thoughts & Hard Facts
Unschooling

Explorations 4 Kids

Computer Literacy
Drivers Ed
Fine Arts
General Interest
Health & Fitness
Language Arts
Languages
Math
Science Experiments
* Astronomy
* Biology
* Chemistry
* Earth Science
* Physics
Social Studies
Homeschool Buyers Co-op
A to Z Sponsored Yahoo Groups
Come be a part of our
online communities !
A2Z Homeschool Chat
A2Zhomeschool Group
A2Z Classifieds
A2Z Mentor Connection
Homeschool Webmasters
Retired Home Educators
 
Distance Learning
Arbor Academy
Citizens' High School
Keystone High School
Laurel Springs School
Penn Foster High School
Time4Learning
 
Computers
Apple Store
 
Curriculum
Alpha Omega Pub's
ClickN READ
Drivers Ed
Homeschool Buyers Co-op
WriteShop
Zone Cleaning 4 Kids
 
Languages
Learn Spanish Today
 
DVDs
A to Z DVD Rental and Purchase Store
 
Becoming an A to Z Sponsor
* Home Learning Year by Year
* Homeschooling : The Teen Years
* First Year of Homeschooling Your Child
* The Unschooling Handbook
* Homeschooling: The Early Years
* The Complete Home Learning Source Book
* 100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum
* The Teenage Liberation Handbook
* The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas
* Homeschool Your Child for Free
More Homeschool Books Here!
 
Creative Home Schooling for Gifted Children: A Resource Guide
Creative Home Schooling for Gifted Children: A Resource Guide
by Lisa Rivero
Lisa addresses areas not usually covered in homeschooling books such as asynchronous development (uneven development), perfectionism, and learning for self-actualization.
 
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
by Engelmann, Siegfried
Based on the excellent DISTAR program, my daughter learned to read well and fast. Combines phonics with interesting reading material for youngsters.

Louisiana Education Code For Homeschooling

This is not intended to be legal advice and is distributed for information purposes only. Check for updates at your public library.


Compulsory attendance - Between 7 and 17 years of age.

Teacher certification required? - No

You may choose to submit examination scores or use a portfolio under the home-study option. If you use the private school option to homeschool there is no testing or portfolio review of any kind.

Required number of days per year - 180


Louisiana Education Code: Sections Relevant to Homeschoolers


LA. R.S. 17:11 Approval of Private Schools By Board

A. The board shall adopt standards and guidelines which shall be applied in determining whether a private or proprietary school applying for approval meets the requirements of a sustained curriculum or specialized course of study of quality at least equal to that prescribed for similar public schools. The board shall appoint an advisory committee of private and proprietary school representatives, who shall advise and counsel with the board relative to standards and guidelines affecting these schools. After initial approval the board shall periodically determine whether the private school is maintaining such quality and if not, shall discontinue approval of the school.

B. The board shall approve any private elementary, secondary, or proprietary school which makes application therefor on a form furnished by the board, if such school meets and maintains a sustained curriculum or specialized course of study of quality at least equal to that prescribed for similar public schools.

C. All certificates and diplomas issued by an approved private school shall carry the same privileges as one issued by a state public school.

Attorney General Opinion 77-479 of March 21, 1977 Board of Elementary and Secondary Education can not either approve or disapprove any nonpublic schools on basis of criteria contained in regulations and standards applicable to public schools. Board may only evaluate private schools on the single consideration of whether the sustained curriculum of a private school is of quality at least equal to that of similar public schools.

Attorney General Opinion 89-321 of May 23, 1989 affirmed AG op. 77-479 and further stated that Board can not either approve or disapprove any nonpublic school on the basis of an exit exam.

LA. R.S. 17:236 Definition of a School

For the purposed of the Chapter, a school is defined as an institution for the teaching of children consisting of an adequate physical plant, whether owned or leased, instructional staff members, and students. For such an institution to be classified as a school, within the meaning of this Chapter, instructional staff members shall meet the following requirements: if a public day school or a nonprofit school which receives local, state, or federal funds or support, directly or indirectly, they shall be certified in accordance with rules established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; if a nonpublic school which receives no local, state, or federal funds or support, directly or indirectly, they shall meet such requirements as may be prescribed by the school or the church. In addition, any such institution, to be classified as a school, shall operate a minimum session of not less than one hundred eighty (180) days. Solely for purposes of compulsory attendance in a nonpublic school, a child who participates in a home study program approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall be considered in attendance at a day school; a home study program shall be approved if it offers a sustained curriculum of a quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level.

LA. R.S. 17:221 Subpart C. School Attendance

A. (1) Every parent, tutor, or other person residing within the state of Louisiana, having control or charge of any child from that child's seventh (7th) birthday until his seventeenth (17th) birthday, shall send such child to a public or private day school, unless the child graduates from high school prior to his seventeenth birthday. Any child below the age of seven (7) who legally enrolls in school shall also be subject to the provision of this Subpart. Every parent, tutor, or other person responsible for sending a child to a public or private day school under provisions of this Subpart shall also assure the attendance of such child in regularly assigned classes during regular school hours established by the school board.

LA. R.S. 17:225 Minimum Attendance Required

The minimum session of attendance required under this Sub-part shall be one hundred eighty (180) days, or the full session of the public school which the child would normally attend.

LA. R.S. 17:236.1 Approval of Home Study Programs

A. A parent or legal guardian shall apply to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for approval of a home study program. An initial application must be made within fifteen (15) days after commencement of the program. A renewal application must be made by the first (1st) of October of the school year, or within twelve months of approval of the initial application, whichever is later. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, upon receipt of such initial or renewal application, shall immediately notify the city or parish school superintendent within whose jurisdiction the home study is being conducted of such application and also shall notify said superintendent of subsequent actions taken by the board on the application.

B. An initial application for participation in a home study program shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the birth certificate of the child. The initial application or, during the 1984-85 school year, a renewal application, shall be approved if the parent certifies that the home study program will offer a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level.

C. (1) After the 1984-85 school year, a renewal application for participation in a home study program shall be approved if the parent submits the the board satisfactory evidence that the program has in fact offered a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level. To substantiate this fact, the parent shall submit with the renewal application a packet of material which includes such documents as:

(a) A complete outline of each of the subjects taught during the previous year,
(b) Lists of books and materials used,
(c) Copies of the student's work,
(d) Copies of standardized tests,
(e) Statements by third parties who have observed the child's progress, and
(f) Any other evidence of the quality of the program being offered.

(2) If the material submitted is inadequate, the Department of Education shall notify the parent of the deficiencies and request additional materials.

(3) On the basis of all the information submitted, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall determine whether the program offers a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered in public schools at the same grade level and shall approve or disapprove the application accordingly.

D. After the 1984-85 school year, a renewal application shall be approved if, in lieu of submission of the packet of materials provided in the previous Subsection, the parent submits with the application any one of the following:

(1) Verification that the child has taken the competency-based education examination provided in R.S. 17:24.4 and scored at or above the passing level established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for public school students at his grade level.

(2) Verification that the child has taken the California Achievement Test (CAT) or such other standardized examination as may be approved by the Board and the child has scored at or above his grade level or the child has progressed at a rate equal to one grade level for each year in home study program.

(3) A statement from a teacher certified to teach at the the child's grade level that the teacher has examined the program being offered and that, in this professional opinion, the child is being taught in accordance with a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level or, in the case of children with mental or physical disabilities, at least equal to that offered by public schools to children with similar disabilities. Any such teacher's evaluation provided for in the Subsection shall be subject to review and approval of the State Board of Education.

E. (1) In May and September of each year and on such other dates as may be determined by the city or parish superintendent of schools, the local school board shall, upon request of a parent whose child is participating in a home study program, administer the competency-based education examination to the child. The test shall be administered with the same instructions and under similar conditions as provided children enrolled in the public schools.

(2) The local school board may charge a fee for this service not the exceed thirty-five ($35.00) dollars.

(3) The certified teacher administering the examination shall promptly provide the parent a statement indicating the child's score and whether he passed the examination.

F. (1) In May and September of each year and on such other dates as may be determined by the state superintendent of elementary and secondary education the Department of Education shall upon the request of the parent, administer the competency-based education examination to any child enrolled in a home study program for enrolled in a private school. The test shall be administered with the same instructions and under similar conditions as provided children enrolled in the public schools.

(2) The Department of Education may charge a fee for this service not to exceed thirty-five ($35.00) dollars.

(3) The certified teacher administering the examination shall promptly provide the parent a statement indicating the child's score and whether he passed the examination.


Return to Louisiana homeschooling information.

Home Learning Year By Year
Home Learning Year by Year : How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School
by Rebecca Rupp
Rebecca Rupp presents a structured plan to ensure that your children will learn what they need to know when they need to know it, from preschool through high school.
 
The Complete Idiots Guide to Homeschooling
Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling
by Marsha Ransom
If you find yourself teaching subjects you know little about, undecided about what curriculum to choose, or concerned that your children may miss out on band, drama, or sports, this guide provides practical advice from an author who has homeschooled four children.
 
The Complete Home Learning Source Book
The Complete Home Learning Source Book : The Essential Resource Guide for Homeschoolers, Parents, and Educators Covering Every Subject from Arithmetic to Zoology
by Rebecca Rupp
This ambitious reference guide lives up to its name. Practically three inches thick--and we're not talking large print here--it's packed with titles, ordering information, and Web site addresses.
 
Homeschooling The Early Years
Homeschooling: The Early Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8- Year-Old Child
by Linda Dobson
The formative years are the most critical to a child's education. They lay the foundation for developing learning skills that last a lifetime.
 
The Teenage Liberation Handbook : How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education
by Grace Llewellen
Llewellyn urges teens to turn off the TV, get outside, and turn to their local libraries, museums, the Internet, and other resources for information.
 
The Homeschooler's Guide toPortfolios and Transcripts
The Homeschooler's Guide to Portfolios and Transcripts
Provides critical advice, examples, and resources for designing the most powerful and persuasive admissions presentations.
 
Homeschooling The Teen Years
Homeschooling : The Teen Years : Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 13- To 18-Year Old
by Cafi Cohen
With today's growing parental concern about the safety, negative social pressures, and questionable teaching effectiveness in our nation's high schools, many parents are opting to teach their teenagers at home.
 
Homeschool Your Child For Free
Homeschool Your Child for Free: More Than 1,200 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Home Education on the Internet and Beyond
by LauraMaery Gold and Joan M. Zielinski
The majority of homeschoolers are single-income families who consequently look for simple, inexpensive resources to use in teaching their children.

Welcome
Home

Regional Information

Curriculum Shopping

Contact
Ann Zeise

© 1997 - Ann Zeise. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

Advertise