CURRENT GRADE: F
There is no school choice in the state where tax dollars follow the student.
Homeschooling requirements are parent friendly and not cumbersome.
Compulsory attendance is required for ages 5-18.
Education Options
- Open Choice Program
- The Open Choice Program allows urban students to attend public schools in participating suburban towns, and suburban and rural students to attend public schools in nearby participating urban districts.
- This is only for participating school districts on a space-available basis.
- Charter Schools
- Must be authorized by the State Board of Education.
- May be limited to only students within a district.
- Attendance is by lottery if there are more applicants than space.
- 24 total charter schools.
Homeschooling Laws
Here are state requirements on the topic of homeschooling:
- “Parents have both a statutory and constitutional right to educate their children at home, and they are not required by law to initiate any contact with government officials before they begin to homeschool.”
- The law states parents must ensure their children receive instruction in: Reading, writing, spelling, and English grammar, Geography, Arithmetic, United States history, and citizenship, including a study of the town, state, and federal governments.
Religious Exemptions:
- There are no state specific religious exemption laws.
The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Many argue that a religious conviction to provide a home-based education is constitutionally protected and a state religious exemption law is not a requirement to be able to homeschool on religious grounds.
It should be noted that the U.S. Supreme Court in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) established that “Under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, a state law requiring that children attend school past eighth grade violates the parents’ constitutional right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.” (The case involved a challenge of a 16-year-old student to be exempt, so the scope was limited)
