by Connie Earl Robertson

Created on: May 28, 2011

Homeschooling has become an accepted method of teaching children across the entire United States, and the state of Idaho is no exception.  In fact, Idaho is one of the most lenient states in regard to homeschooling.  Take a look at homeschooling laws in Idaho.

The education department in Idaho does not monitor or regulate the state's homeschooling families.  In other words, they have left the responsibility for the education of their children totally on the shoulders of the parents.  The state has, however, general education laws that apply to everyone, and parents who are homeschooling need to make sure that they comply.

Idaho simply requires that children, who are not enrolled in a public school, receive a comparable education in the same subjects that are taught in public schools.  The manner in which that is done is left entirely up to the parents.  This allows parents to teach their children by allowing them to learn in a relaxed manner according to their questions and interests, by using a specific homeschooling curriculum or by joining other homeschoolers and group teaching the children.

School age in Idaho is determined by the child's age on September 1 of any given year.  This simply means that if a child's birthday is before or on September 1 and he is 5 years old, he may start kindergarten.  If it comes after September 1, he must wait until the following year to start.  The exception to this is for children with disabilities requiring special education, and they must start school at the age of 3.

The Idaho law does place the responsibility on the parents to make sure that their children are studying during the same time period of the year that the public schools are in session.  As a precaution, parents may want to keep a record of the days when teaching and learning is actually taking place in their home.  Idaho requires 450 hours for students in the public schools.

One nice thing about the Idaho law is that it has a prevision for dual enrollment.  This allows parents to enroll their children in a public school for a specific course or a specific type of extracurricular activity.  For example, some parents feel totally inadequate when it comes to teaching their children Algebra.  They can simply enroll them in the local high school's algebra class.  It also gives children the opportunity to be part of the local sports teams.

A look at homeschooling laws in Idaho shows clearly that parents can use any method of instruction that they choose.  The state does, however, expect them to take total responsibility for giving their children a comparative education.  It is an opportunity to take advantage of and not abuse.

Source:

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/laws/blID.htm

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