The Carlisle Area School District respects the rights of parents to educate their children in the home. The school district follows all of the legal requirements for educating children in the home. The following information provides a brief overview of these legal requirements. Please refer to the PA Department of Education (PDE) for further clarification.
The required home education affidavit covers the school year July 1 – June 30 and must be submitted to the superintendent’s office no later than August 1 of each school year a child is home schooled.
Students attending home education programs shall be eligible to participate in cocurricular activities, academic courses and a career and technical education program in the District, based on the requirements for admission to that program and Board policy, on the same basis as other District students. Submit Request to Participate here.
What is required to be submitted each year?
- Unsworn declaration or notarized affidavit
- Immunization and medical records*
- Outline of proposed education objective by subject
- If the student is identified as special education, additional paperwork is required, to include a letter certifying that the objectives are approved by a teacher with a valid certificate to teach special education or a licensed clinical or certified school psychologist
The sample affidavits shown below may be used by the supervisor of the home education program for children at the elementary school level (kindergarten through sixth grade) or at the secondary school level (seventh through twelfth grade). These documents must be notarized. The unsworn declarations shown below may also be used by a home school supervisor. They are similar to the affidavits, however, unsworn declarations do not need to be notarized but instead, are governed under perjury statutes.
What are the changes to the required medical documentation?
Update: *Affidavits/unsworn statements that merely ‘attest’ that your child(ren) have been immunized are not sufficient and can no longer be accepted.
All students, including students in a home education program, must comply with the immunization requirements of the Pennsylvania Public School Code and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Specifically, the law applicable to home education programs requires that the parent or guardian provide “evidence that the child has been immunized.”
What documents can be submitted to meet the medical record requirement?
One of the following documents is required to be submitted along with your affidavit/unsworn declaration in order to meet the medical records requirement:
- The actual records, which show the record or history of immunization, including the month, day, and year that immunizations were given, or
- The standard certificate of immunization (green/white form) and standard medical certificate (red/white form) showing up-to-date immunizations, or
- A letter from a physician or physician's designee stating the legal requirements related to medical immunizations have been fulfilled, or
- A letter from a physician or physician’s designee stating that there exists a medical condition that prevents immunization (i.e., a child undergoing chemotherapy and scheduled for a dose of a live virus immunization as this would not be medically appropriate), or
- A letter/affidavit stating from the parent/guardian stating that they object to immunizations on religious grounds or on the basis of strong moral or ethical convictions, similar to religious beliefs (See 28 Pa. Code § 23.84).
• The home education supervisor must maintain a portfolio of the child's work documenting compulsory attendance and that the child is receiving the appropriate education. Compulsory attendance applies to students from age 6 through the age of 18. Standardized testing is required in grades 3, 5 and 8. The portfolio must include these test results. Students may take the PSSA or Keystone Exams at their school district without cost or parents may pay for an alternative test and its administration. Portfolios must be evaluated by a qualified evaluator at the parents’ expense.
• The law defines five ways to qualify as a home education evaluator. The Carlisle Area School District will request that evaluators provide proper evidence of their qualifications.
1. PA certified teachers (must submit PPID)
2. School Psychologists (must submit PPID)
3. Licensed clinical psychologists (must submit license number)
4. Non-public teachers (must provide their place of employment, subjects/grades taught, years taught and contact information of the school in which they worked)
5. Administrators (must provide their place of employment, subjects/grades taught, years taught and contact information of the school in which they worked)
• Home education supervisors may request to borrow copies of textbooks and other curriculum materials appropriate to the student’s age and grade level from the school district at no charge. These items are to be returned in like condition at the conclusion of the school year when the evaluation is submitted.
Who is the best contact with additional questions?
Please contact Holly Miller at [email protected].
• The Carlisle Area School District Administration Offices are located at 623 West Penn Street, Carlisle, PA 17013. Our mailing address is 540 West North Street, Carlisle, PA 17013.