Homeschooling

Registering Children as Homeschooled

The School Act, passed in 1989, gave parents the statutory right to educate their children at home.

School Act Provisions

  • Parents may educate their children at home, but they must provide each school-age child with an "educational program" (section 12).
  • Parents must register homeschooled children by September 30th each year with:
    • a public school in the school district where the parent resides, or a francophone school in the francophone district where the parent resides, or with
    • a distance education school that serves the school district or region where the parent resides, or with
    • an independent school in the province.
  • Parents who fail to register their children as homeschooled commit an offense.
  • Public schools and funded independent schools receive a grant for each homeschooled child registered.
  • The spirit and intent of these provisions is to provide parents with the choice of homeschooling while providing children with protection.

Protection of Homeschooled Children

Anyone who believes that a homeschooled child is not registered, or is registered but is not receiving an educational program, may report this belief to the superintendent of schools of the school district in which the child resides. No action lies against the person making such a report, unless the report is made maliciously (section 14).

The Superintendent's Responsibilities

  • When the superintendent receives a complaint alleging that a homeschooled child is not registered, or not offered an educational program, the superintendent shall investigate the complaint or cause it to be investigated.
  • In the event that the superintendent determines that the child is not registered, and the parent refuses to comply with the law, the superintendent shall inform the police having jurisdiction over the area in which the parent resides.
  • In the event that the superintendent determines that the child is not receiving an educational program or the situation is one of child neglect the superintendent may request the assistance of the Ministry for Children and Families.

Responsibility of the Public School Board

  • The board must ensure that the principal of a school registers the homeschooled child on request of the parent.
  • The board shall determine which provincially authorized and recommended learning resources, and in what quantity, are sufficient to enable the home-schooled child to pursue his or her educational program. The board shall authorize the principal of the school to make such resources available to homeschooled children on the same basis as they are issued to regular students enrolled in the school.
  • The board may, at its discretion, permit homeschooled children to attend any educational programs offered by the board subject to any terms, conditions and fees the board wishes to establish.

Responsibility of the Public School

  • The principal must register the child of any parent who wishes his/her child to be educated at home. Registration shall be recorded on the Student Data Collection Form (1701) which is used to collect data for all students in the school.
  • The school principal shall offer to the homeschooled child or the parents free of charge:
    • evaluation and assessment services sufficient to determine the educational progress achieved by the child in relation to students of similar age and ability, and
    • the loan of educational resource materials that are authorized and recommended by the Minister, and which, in the board's opinion, are sufficient to enable the child to pursue his or her educational program, and
    • the parent and/or homeschooled child is free to accept or reject evaluation/assessment services or the loan of learning resource materials that have been offered by the school, and
    • the school has no authority to approve or supervise the educational program of a homeschooled child.

Responsibility of a Distance Education School

  • Distance education schools shall register homeschooled children under the same provisions as those for public schools (as stated above).

Responsibility of Independent Schools

  • The authority for each independent school may determine if the school will register homeschooled children. The authority may also set a fee for the registration of a homeschooled child.
  • An independent school may register a homeschooled child who resides anywhere in the province.
    • Registration shall be recorded on the Student Data Collection Form (1701) which is used to collect data for all students in the school and will reflect registrations as of September 30th each year.
    • The independent school shall offer free of charge to the homeschooled child or the parent(s) evaluation and assessment services normally offered to the students at that independent school.
    • The independent school may loan to the parent(s) of homeschooled child(ren) educational resource materials which the school believes are sufficient to enable the child to pursue his or her educational program. The school may require a deposit for the loan of such materials.