Arkansas Homeschool State Laws and Regulations
Please Note This Important Notice:
Arkansas home schooling laws and regulations cannot be summarized in a short informational page or overview. It is incumbent upon you to perform due diligence in researching and familiarizing yourself with your state’s legal’s and regulations as they pertain to homeschooling. This information is provided for you to give you a starting point. This is not intended to be legal advice and is distributed for basic informational purposes only. For more information about the laws and regulations in this state please contact a state or local support group or your public library.
Arkansas Home Schooling
Compulsory School Age
Between 5 and 17 years of age on or before September 15 of that school year.
Teacher certification required – No.
Parents are required to notify local school superintendent of intent to homeschool by filling out a Letter of Intent and signing a waiver before Aug. 15 or Dec. 15 each year. Parents withdrawing children from public school during the school year must wait 14 calendar days after filing LOI to begin homeschooling. This requirement can be waived by superintendent or school board. Testing is done in grades 5, 7, 10. The homeschooled student must not be more than two years beyond the normal age for the appropriate grade. Students under disciplinary action or having excessive unexcused absences may not be allowed to begin homeschooling until they have met certain criteria.
6-15-501. Definition.
As used in this subchapter unless the context otherwise requires, “home school” means a school primarily conducted by parents or legal guardians for their own children.
6-15-502. Rules, regulations, and procedures for monitoring and enforcing
provisions.
(a) The provisions of § 6-18-201(a) shall be self-executing, and the State Board of Education shall have no authority to promulgate rules, regulations, or guidelines for the enforcement or administration thereof.
(b) The State Board of Education is empowered to make such reasonable rules and regulations required for the proper administration of this subchapter which are not inconsistent with the intent of this subchapter.
(c) In addition, the State Board of Education shall cause procedures to be developed which will insure that the provisions of this subchapter and 6-18-201(a) are properly monitored and enforced. 6-15-503. Prerequisites to home schooling.
(1) Parents or guardians desiring to provide a home school for their children must comply with the following requirements: (A) Give written notice to the superintendent of their local school district by August 15, or by December 15 for the spring semester, of each school year of their intent to provide a homeschool for their child. Notice must include:
1. The name, date of birth, grade level, and the name and address of the school last attended, if any, of each student involved;
2. The location of the home school;
3. The basic core curriculum to be offered;
4. The proposed schedule of instruction; and
5. The qualifications of the parent/teachers.
6-15-503. Prerequisites to home schooling.
(a)(1) and (2) Parents or guardians desiring to provide a home school for their children must give written notice to the superintendent of their local school district of their intent to provide a home school for their child. and sign a waiver acknowledging that the State of Arkansas is not liable for the education of their child during the time that parent chooses to home school:
(A) the beginning of each school year but no later than August 15 or
(B) By December 15 for parents who decide to start home schooling at the beginning of the spring semester or
(C) Subject to the provisions of subsections (d) and (e) of this section, fourteen (14) calendar days prior to withdrawing the child from the local school district and at eh beginning of each school year thereafter. The superintendent or the local school board may waive the fourteen (14) day waiting period.
(2) Parents or guardians moving in the school district during the school year must give written notice to the superintendent of their local school district of their intent to provide a home school for their child and sign a waiver acknowledging that the State of Arkansas is not liable for the education of their child during the time that parent chooses to home school within 30 days (30) calendar days of establishing residency within the district.
6-15-504. Home-schooled students – Achievement tests – Enrollment or reenrollment in local schools.
(a) Each student enrolled in a home school program who is seven (7) years of age through sixteen (16) years of age on May 1 of each school year shall be tested annually by May 1 using a nationally recognized standardized achievement test chosen by the parents from a list of such tests provided by the State Board of Education.
(b) The test administered to a student who is seven (7) years of age shall be for the purpose of obtaining educational baseline data on the student.
(c) The administration of the test required of home school students shall be by the Director of the Department of Education, General Division, or his designee, which may include a school district or an educational cooperative.
(d) Such administration shall include purchasing the test materials, giving the test, scoring and interpretation of the test, and reporting test results.
(e) The parent/teacher may be present when home school students are tested, but in such instance, both the parent and the student shall be under the supervision of the test administrator.
(f) The cost of testing required by this subchapter shall be reimbursed to the state by the parent or guardian of the student.
6-15-505. Report of test results – Unsatisfactory Results.
(a) (1) Test results shall be reported to the parent/teacher of the home school, the superintendent of the school district in which the home school is located, and the Department of Education. (2) Personally identifiable test scores shall be confidential and shall not be released without the consent of the parent. (3) When test results of the home school student are unsatisfactory, a program of remediation should be planned and implemented by the parent/teacher. (4) Any student eight (8) years of age or older whose test results are unsatisfactory shall be enrolled in a public, private, or parochial school unless, prior to the beginning of the next school year, such student retakes the same test and achieves a satisfactory score.
(b) (1) Unsatisfactory test results on the standardized achievement battery shall mean, for all grades, achieving a composite score on reading, mathematics, and language arts that is more then eight (8) months below expected grade level plus, for grade 6 and above, scores on science and social studies tests which are more than eight (8) months below expected grade level. (2) Unsatisfactory test results on the minimum performance test shall mean not achieving the standard of mastery established for such test by the State Board of Education.
(c) Remediation must be provided for students scoring below the mastery level on the minimum performance test, and all students must pass this test before entering the ninth grade.
(d) Notification that a student has not scored satisfactorily on the standardized achievement battery and thus must return to a public, private, or parochial school will come from the Department of Education.
(e) Any student required to return to a public, private, or parochial school must continue attendance at a public, private, or parochial school until the student achieves satisfactory test results as defined by this section.
(f) Authority is specifically given to the Department of Education to make an exception where improvement on test scores indicates that continued home education would not be adverse to the child’s interest.
6-15-506. Children Needing Special Education.
(a) Any student who has been identified pursuant to the provisions of Public Law 94-142 and Sec. 6-41-201 et seq. as needing special education services shall not be eligible to meet the requirements of compulsory attendance by participating in a home school program unless the parent/teacher of such child holds a valid certification from the State of Arkansas to teach special education courses in a public or private school.
(b) Any student participating in a home school program whose performance on the tests required by this subchapter indicates the student may be in need of special education service shall be referred for evaluation in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 94-142 and Sec. 6-41-201 et seq. and the regulations promulgated thereunder. If the student is identified as needing special education service, the student shall be enrolled in a public, private, or parochial school unless the parent/teacher of such student holds a valid certification from the State of Arkansas to teach special education in a public, private, or parochial school and submits procedures for implementing an individualized education plan (IEP) which includes specific goals and objectives.
6-15-507. Ineligibility of home schools for local, state, or federal funds.
(a) Home schools authorized by this subchapter are not entitled to local, state, or federal funds allocated to a public school district. For purposes of this section, eligible children with disabilities, identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., in home school settings shall be given the same consideration afforded to students in private school settings for special education services as provided for in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.
(b) School districts providing services to home school students shall be eligible for local, state, or federal funds allocated or approved for such services.