Question: We have a parent interested in their home-schooled child taking certain courses at our school. According to a DPI FAQ, a student can take up to two classes a semester at a public school. Can parents choose a private school? How do we account for their enrollment?
Answer: State law is silent regarding homeschool students taking courses at a private school.
The parent would have to negotiate with the private school. However, a student cannot be homeschooled and a Choice or an SNSP pupil. In terms of counting the homeschooler, the private school does not need to count the student. Private schools should only report students actually enrolled at the school, not those taking a few courses. It will be the responsibility of the parent to file the homeschool count data. But, the DPI has no way to know if students are double-counted because they do not collect individual student data for either private (non-choice) students or homeschooled students.
In addition, schools should consider the following issues affecting the administration of these visiting students:
Chapel attendance; workload; behavior; access to student services; lunch time participation; locker usage/searches; compliance with childhood vaccines; eligibility to attend or participate in all-school events like commencement; participation in school safety training for students; mandatory parent volunteer requirements; comportment with the school’s mission and values; alignment with the school’s gender understanding, etc.
You will want to make sure you have policies in place and that parents, staff and students are aware of them.
