Texas Education Agency
Home School Information Letter
August 7, 1998
TO THE INDIVIDUAL ADDRESSED:
Attached is information about parental instruction or "home schooling" in lieu of public school attendance. Parents can obtain information from many different sources, some of which are listed in this packet for your information.
This packet is sent to you as a courtesy only. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) does not recommend, approve, support, or endorse any person, educational program, group, or organization in the attachment.
For most of this century, Texas law has exempted children enrolled in a private or parochial school from compulsory school attendance. In the case of Leeper et al. v. Arlington ISD et al., the Supreme Court of Texas affirmed a decision by District Judge Charles J. Murray holding that a school age child residing in Texas who is pursuing, under direction of his/her parents, a curriculum designed to meet basic education goals is attending a private school within the meaning of Section 25.086(a)(1) of the Texas Education Code and is therefore exempt from compulsory school attendance. This case has statewide application because school districts in the state and certain state officials were parties to the suit. A copy of the sections of the Texas Education Code related to compulsory attendance is attached.
The Texas Education Agency does not regulate, index, monitor, approve, nor register the programs available to parents who choose to home school. In the event a home-schooled student wishes to enter a public school, most school districts have policies and procedures in place to assess the mastery level of courses that students in home schools have taken. The results of the assessment may be used for grade placement and/or award of credit. The State of Texas does not award a diploma to students that are home schooled. Several sources of information about home schooling are cited on the attached pages. There may be a charge or fee for catalogues or materials from the organizations listed. In addition, there may be books about parental/home education available from bookstores in your community. As another alternative, interested parents may also wish to contact the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission, 10810 Dreamland Dr., San Antonio, Texas 78230, (210) 979-6410, for information about accredited private schools.Persons interested in acquiring the state-mandated curriculum may purchase the document from the TEA Publication office. The document is all-inclusive; individual grades and/or courses are not available separately. To inquire about ordering the State Board of Education Rules for Curriculum, please call TEA Publications at (512) 463-9744. The cost of the document changes periodically, but is approximately $50.00 per copy. The publications office maintains publications only and does not respond to questions related to home schooling. THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED OF PERSONS CONDUCTING HOME SCHOOLING. A Textbook Current Adoption Catalogue may also be purchased (approximately $10.00 per copy) from TEA Publications; however, state-adopted textbooks can be purchased directly from the publishers. Please understand that a local district is not required to provide textbooks nor to facilitate purchases. Textbooks purchased with public funds are to be used only by students enrolled in a public school.If further information or assistance is necessary, please contact any of the attached Home School Support Groups or Regional/State Organizations. As a reminder this information is also available at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/.