Homeschooling in Virginia

Question:
Do all homeschoolers in VA have to meet with school system officials, or is this just for families who have a child with special needs? In NC, we have to file an intent to homeschool, but it's done through the mail. And they never ask whether or not any of the students has special needs.

Answer:
I homeschooled my oldest girls for awhile last year. I thought about homeschooling Emily, but just felt I couldn't do it. However, what I was told by the President of VHEA is that the regs for kids in spec ed (that is, kids enrolled in public school receiving sped services, who are being pulled out by parents to homeschool) require nothing beyond what is required for any other child: an "intent to homeschool" filed; proof of competancy to teach or approved curriculum; and a standardized test once a year. I also checked with one of the local homeschool groups, and found there were several parents who had simply "opted out" of sped altogether. All they filed was the regular homeschool paperwork.

Now, if you wanted to homeschool and still receive some type of related service (like Speech, OT, etc) you would have to go through the whole IEP thing.

But you have a right to homeschool any of your children in Virginia. It's not necessary to meet with any local officials. It's all done by paperwork.

I don't know why anyone would have to meet with anyone, but it could have been overzealousness on the part of the school. Maybe they thought they had to do it or something. But it is not necessary, according to local and state homeschool associations.