Auburn School District No. 408 Family Engagement and Student Success
HOME SCHOOLING LETTER OF INTENT
2020-21 School Year
A parent who intends to cause his/her child or children to receive home-based instruction, in lieu of
attendance or enrollment in a public school, approved private school, or an extension program of an
approved private school must file an annual declaration of intent to do so in the format described
below:
I hereby declare that I am the parent, guardian, or legal custodian of the child(ren) listed below; and
that said child(ren) is(are) between the ages of eight and eighteen and as such are subject to the
requirements found in Chapter 28A.225 RCW (see page 2), Compulsory Attendance; I intend to
cause said child(ren) to receive home-based instruction as specified in RCW 28A.225.010(4) (see
other side); and if a certificated person will be supervising the instruction, I have indicated this by
checking the appropriate space.
( ) The home-based instruction will be supervised by a person certificated in Washington State
pursuant to Chapter 28A.410 RCW (details on OSPI website: www.k12wa.us).
Child(ren)'s Name(s)
Last First Middle Birthdate
___________________________________
(Signature) (Date)
(Please Print Name) (Phone)
___________________________________
(Street Address)
(City) (State) (Zip)
This statement must be filed annually by September 15 or within two weeks of the beginning of
any public school quarter, trimester, or semester with the superintendent of the public school district
within which the parent resides.
Return to: Family Engagement and Student Success
Auburn School District No. 408
915 Fourth Street NE
Auburn, WA 98002
253-931-4712 (FAX 253-931-4994) or email: transfers@auburn.wednet.edu
Received by: Date:
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Washington State Attendance and Home Based Instruction Laws
RC
W 28A.225.010
Attendance mandatory—Age—Exceptions. (Effective until July 1, 2019.)
(1) All parents in this state of any child eight years of age and under eighteen years of age shall cause such child to attend
the public school of the district in which the child resides and such child shall have the responsibility to and therefore shall
attend for the full time when such school may be in session unless:
(a) The child is attending an approved private school for the same time or is enrolled in an extension program as
provided in RCW 28A.195.010(4);
(b) The child is receiving home-based instruction as provided in subsection (4) of this section;
(c) The child is attending an education center as provided in chapter 28A.205 RCW;
(d) The school district superintendent of the district in which the child resides shall have excused such child from
attendance because the child is physically or mentally unable to attend school, is attending a residential school operated by
the department of social and health services, is incarcerated in an adult correctional facility, or has been temporarily excused
upon the request of his or her parents for purposes agreed upon by the school authorities and the parent: PROVIDED, That
such excused absences shall not be permitted if deemed to cause a serious adverse effect upon the student's educational
progress: PROVIDED FURTHER, That students excused for such temporary absences may be claimed as full-time
equivalent students to the extent they would otherwise have been so claimed for the purposes of RCW 28A.150.250 and
28A.150.260 and shall not affect school district compliance with the provisions of RCW 28A.150.220;
(e) The child is excused from school subject to approval by the student's parent for a reason of faith or conscience, or an
organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization, for up to two
days per school year without any penalty. Such absences may not mandate school closures. Students excused for such
temporary absences may be claimed as full-time equivalent students to the extent they would otherwise have been so claimed
for the purposes of RCW 28A.150.250 and 28A.150.260 and may not affect school district compliance with the provisions of
RCW 28A.150.220; or
(f) The child is sixteen years of age or older and:
(i) The child is regularly and lawfully employed and either the parent agrees that the child should not be required to
attend school or the child is emancipated in accordance with chapter 13.64 RCW;
(ii) The child has already met graduation requirements in accordance with state board of education rules and regulations;
or
(iii) The child has received a certificate of educational competence under rules and regulations established by the state
board of education under RCW 28A.305.190.
(2) A parent for the purpose of this chapter means a parent, guardian, or person having legal custody of a child.
(3) An approved private school for the purposes of this chapter and chapter 28A.200 RCW shall be one approved under
regulations established by the state board of education pursuant to RCW 28A.305.130.
(4) For the purposes of this chapter and chapter 28A.200 RCW, instruction shall be home-based if it consists of planned
and supervised instructional and related educational activities, including a curriculum and instruction in the basic skills of
occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the
development of an appreciation of art and music, provided for a number of hours equivalent to the total annual program hours
per grade level established for approved private schools under RCW 28A.195.010 and 28A.195.040 and if such activities are:
(a) Provided by a parent who is instructing his or her child only and are supervised by a certificated person. A
certificated person for purposes of this chapter and chapter 28A.200 RCW shall be a person certified under chapter 28A.410
RCW. For purposes of this section, "supervised by a certificated person" means: The planning by the certificated person and
the parent of objectives consistent with this subsection; a minimum each month of an average of one contact hour per week
with the child being supervised by the certificated person; and evaluation of such child's progress by the certificated person.
The number of children supervised by the certificated person shall not exceed thirty for purposes of this subsection; or
(b
) Provided by a parent who is instructing his or her child only and who has either earned forty-five college level
quarter credit hours or its equivalent in semester hours or has completed a course in home-based instruction at a
postsecondary institution or a vocational-technical institute; or
(c) Provided by a parent who is deemed sufficiently qualified to provide home-based instruction by the superintendent of
the local school district in which the child resides.
(5) The legislature recognizes that home-based instruction is less structured and more experiential than the instruction
normally provided in a classroom setting. Therefore, the provisions of subsection (4) of this section relating to the nature and
quantity of instructional and related educational activities shall be liberally construed.
.
RCW 28A.200.010
Home-based instruction—Duties of parents—Exemption from high school assessment requirements.
(1) Each parent whose child is receiving home-based instruction under RCW 28A.225.010(4) shall have the duty to:
(a) File annually a signed declaration of intent that he or she is planning to cause his or her child to receive home-based
instruction. The statement shall include the name and age of the child, shall specify whether a certificated person will be
supervising the instruction, and shall be written in a format prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction. Each
parent shall file the statement by September 15th of the school year or within two weeks of the beginning of any public
school quarter, trimester, or semester with the superintendent of the public school district within which the parent resides or
the district that accepts the transfer, and the student shall be deemed a transfer student of the nonresident district. Parents may
apply for transfer under RCW 28A.225.220;
(b) Ensure that test scores or annual academic progress assessments and immunization records, together with any other
records that are kept relating to the instructional and educational activities provided, are forwarded to any other public or
private school to which the child transfers. At the time of a transfer to a public school, the superintendent of the local school
district in which the child enrolls may require a standardized achievement test to be administered and shall have the authority
to determine the appropriate grade and course level placement of the child after consultation with parents and review of the
child's records; and
(c) Ensure that a standardized achievement test approved by the state board of education is administered annually to the
child by a qualified individual or that an annual assessment of the student's academic progress is written by a certificated
person who is currently working in the field of education. The state board of education shall not require these children to
meet the student learning goals, master the essential academic learning requirements, to take the assessments, or to obtain a
certificate of academic achievement or a certificate of individual achievement pursuant to RCW 28A.655.061 and
28A.155.045. The standardized test administered or the annual academic progress assessment written shall be made a part of
the child's permanent records. If, as a result of the annual test or assessment, it is determined that the child is not making
reasonable progress consistent with his or her age or stage of development, the parent shall make a good faith effort to
remedy any deficiency.
(2) Failure of a parent to comply with the duties in this section shall be deemed a failure of such parent's child to attend
school without valid justification under RCW 28A.225.020. Parents who do comply with the duties set forth in this section
shall be presumed to be providing home-based instruction as set forth in RCW 28A.225.010(4).
RCW 28A.200.020
Home-based instruction—Certain decisions responsibility of parent unless otherwise specified.
The state hereby recognizes that parents who are causing their children to receive home-based instruction under RCW
28A.225.010(4) shall be subject only to those minimum state laws and regulations which are necessary to insure that a
sufficient basic educational opportunity is provided to the children receiving such instruction. Therefore, all decisions
relating to philosophy or doctrine, selection of books, teaching materials and curriculum, and methods, timing, and place in
the provision or evaluation of home-based instruction shall be the responsibility of the parent except for matters specifically
referred to in this chapter.