Pauline's Guide to Homeschooling in PA	Homeschooling in PA: Moving Into, Out of, and Within Pennsylvania
ON THIS PAGE: Moving Within PA Moving Out of PA In PA Temporarily Moving Into PA NOTE: Most of my homeschooling web pages refer to The Pennsylvania Home Education Law, Act 169 of 1988. The vast majority of families who teach their children at home in PA do so under this law, commonly referred to as “the homeschooling law”. (For more information about complying with Act 169, start at my Complying with the PA Homeschooling Law page.) However, there are several other options for families who teach their children at home in Pennsylvania. See my Alternatives to the Home Ed. Law page for details on other options. I am NOT a lawyer, and this page is NOT intended as legal advice. Please double-check your situation with the Homeschooling Liaison at the PA Department of Education. There’s lots more homeschooling info on my site! Check out my Homeschooling Main Page. Homeschoolers have a lot of choices available to them. Please take the information you find useful from these pages and ignore the rest. This Web Page by Pauline Harding for Art Nurk, askpauline@comcast.net. Please do not copy the information on this page without permission.	Moving within Pennsylvania: Assuming you are homeschooling under the PA Home Education Law, the law describes procedures for moving from one PA school district to another. (See the paragraph in green below for the text of the law.) Basically, you must write to your superintendent for a letter of transfer 30 days before you move. The superintendent then sends a letter to the new district. These procedures apply whether you move during the school year or during the summer. If you have questions about this procedure, please contact the homeschool liaison at the PA Department of Education. (If you are homeschooling under an alternative to the home education law (such as private tutoring or a PA public cyber-charter school), the procedure will be different - contact the PDE for details.) (2) In the event the home education program site is relocating to another school district within this Commonwealth during the course of the public school term or prior to the opening of the public school term in the fall, the supervisor of the home education program must apply, by registered mail, thirty (30) days prior to the relocation, to the superintendent of the district in which he or she currently resides, requesting a letter of transfer for the home education program to the district to which the home education program is relocating. The current superintendent of residence must issue the letter of transfer thirty (30) days after receipt of the registered mail request of the home education program supervisor. (i) If the home education program is not in compliance with the provisions of this section, the superintendent of the current district of residence must inform the home education supervisor and the superintendent of the district to which the home education program is relocating the status of the home education program and the reason for the denial of the letter of transfer. (ii) If the home education program is in hearing procedures, as contained in this section, the superintendent of the current district of residence must inform the home education supervisor, the assigned hearing examiner and the superintendent of the district to which the home education program is relocating the status of the home education program and the reason for the denial of the letter of transfer. (3) The letter of transfer, required by clause (2), must be filed by the supervisor of the home education program with the superintendent of the new district of residence. In the case of pending proceedings, the new district of residence superintendent shall continue the home education program until the appeal process is finalized. Moving out of Pennsylvania: According to the PA Department of Education, any time you submit a home education affidavit, you must complete the associated end-of-year paperwork to close out your home education program. Otherwise, you can be deemed out of compliance, and therefore truant, for the days you have home educated. Thus if you move during the school year, you are still supposed to create a portfolio, have an evaluation, and submit the portfolio and evaluator's letter to the superintendent of your school district. Will your district insist on it? This is one of those situations where the 501 PA school districts handle things differently. Practically speaking, some families do not bother with the paperwork and have no problems. It seems rare for a school district to track down a family who has moved. However, it has been an issue in at least one case where a family moved out of PA, then later returned. If you don't want to burn any bridges, it is probably wise to file at least a minimal version of the end-of-year paperwork. See 24 PS 13-1327 Compulsory school attendance. In Pennsylvania temporarily: Sometimes a family will find themselves in Pennsylvania temporarily - to care for a sick relative, on an extended business trip, or for other reasons. According to the PDE, if you are in PA temporarily, you don’t have to register your children if you are already registered/reporting/enrolled in your home state. However, if you are not covered elsewhere, and your children fall under PA's compulsory school age, you must register within 3-5 days. If your home state does not require registration or notification, contact the PDE for clarification as to how this applies to you. Moving to Pennsylvania: Don't Panic! First of all, don't panic! PA's homeschooling laws are complex, but once you've gone through the process the first time it is fairly routine after that. While minor issues pop up here and there, most are due to district personnel who are not familiar with the details of the law and who are asking for more than the law requires. These issues are usually quickly solved by contacting the friendly Homeschooling Liaison at the PA Department of Education. Serious problems are rare, even for those who take a more relaxed approach to homeschooling. PA is home to a wonderful, diverse community of homeschoolers -- Welcome! Check the Compulsory School Age. If your child is under age 8 or over 17, you may not have to file at all, though some families choose to - see Compulsory School Age. Choose your legal category. The next step is to decide which PA homeschooling option is best for your family. The PA Home Education Law is the most widely-used option in PA, though there are a few Alternatives to the Home Education Law, primarily the Private Tutor option and the PA Public Cyber-Charter Schools. If you choose the Home Education Law, the first step is to file a home education affidavit. Figure out when you should file. According to the PDE, if you move to PA in the middle of the school year, and your children are of compulsory school age, you must register with your local school district within 3-4 days of your move. If you move at the very end of the school year, and you have already completed the school year in your previous location, you may wait until the next school year to register. (Contact the PDE if you have questions about your specific situation.) You can file a home education affidavit for the next year (and thus begin counting your 180 days or 900/990 hours) as early as July 1. Take the next step. This web site should guide you through the basics of getting started in PA. If you choose the Home Education option, you'll need to learn about the affidavit, creating a portfolio, keeping a log, doing standardized testing (only in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades), and getting an end-of-year evaluation. (Remember! Don't panic! It's easier than it sounds!) Be sure to seek out local support groups too. For now, read up on the affidavit, keep a box of things you can use for the portfolio (such as brochures from field trips, drawings, and samples of work), and keep a list of reading materials (for the log). You can figure out the details as you go along. Enjoy!

Homeschooling in PA:
Moving Into, Out of, and Within Pennsylvania

ON THIS PAGE:

NOTE:

Most of my homeschooling web pages refer to The Pennsylvania Home Education Law, Act 169 of 1988. The vast majority of families who teach their children at home in PA do so under this law, commonly referred to as “the homeschooling law”.
(For more information about complying with Act 169, start at my Complying with the PA Homeschooling Law page.)

However, there are several other options for families who teach their children at home in Pennsylvania. See my Alternatives to the Home Ed. Law page for details on other options.

I am NOT a lawyer, and this page is NOT intended as legal advice. Please double-check your situation with the Homeschooling Liaison at the PA Department of Education.

There’s lots more homeschooling info on my site! Check out my Homeschooling Main Page.

Homeschoolers have a lot of choices available to them. Please take the information you find useful from these pages and ignore the rest.

This Web Page by Pauline Harding for Art Nurk, askpauline@comcast.net.
Please do not copy the information on this page without permission.

Moving within Pennsylvania:

Assuming you are homeschooling under the PA Home Education Law, the law describes procedures for moving from one PA school district to another. (See the paragraph in green below for the text of the law.) Basically, you must write to your superintendent for a letter of transfer 30 days before you move. The superintendent then sends a letter to the new district. These procedures apply whether you move during the school year or during the summer. If you have questions about this procedure, please contact the homeschool liaison at the PA Department of Education.

(If you are homeschooling under an alternative to the home education law (such as private tutoring or a PA public cyber-charter school), the procedure will be different - contact the PDE for details.)

(2) In the event the home education program site is relocating to another school district within this Commonwealth during the course of the public school term or prior to the opening of the public school term in the fall, the supervisor of the home education program must apply, by registered mail, thirty (30) days prior to the relocation, to the superintendent of the district in which he or she currently resides, requesting a letter of transfer for the home education program to the district to which the home education program is relocating.

The current superintendent of residence must issue the letter of transfer thirty (30) days after receipt of the registered mail request of the home education program supervisor.

(i) If the home education program is not in compliance with the provisions of this section, the superintendent of the current district of residence must inform the home education supervisor and the superintendent of the district to which the home education program is relocating the status of the home education program and the reason for the denial of the letter of transfer.

(ii) If the home education program is in hearing procedures, as contained in this section, the superintendent of the current district of residence must inform the home education supervisor, the assigned hearing examiner and the superintendent of the district to which the home education program is relocating the status of the home education program and the reason for the denial of the letter of transfer.

(3) The letter of transfer, required by clause (2), must be filed by the supervisor of the home education program with the superintendent of the new district of residence. In the case of pending proceedings, the new district of residence superintendent shall continue the home education program until the appeal process is finalized.

Moving out of Pennsylvania:

According to the PA Department of Education, any time you submit a home education affidavit, you must complete the associated end-of-year paperwork to close out your home education program. Otherwise, you can be deemed out of compliance, and therefore truant, for the days you have home educated. Thus if you move during the school year, you are still supposed to create a portfolio, have an evaluation, and submit the portfolio and evaluator's letter to the superintendent of your school district.

Will your district insist on it? This is one of those situations where the 501 PA school districts handle things differently. Practically speaking, some families do not bother with the paperwork and have no problems. It seems rare for a school district to track down a family who has moved. However, it has been an issue in at least one case where a family moved out of PA, then later returned. If you don't want to burn any bridges, it is probably wise to file at least a minimal version of the end-of-year paperwork.

See 24 PS 13-1327 Compulsory school attendance.

In Pennsylvania temporarily:

Sometimes a family will find themselves in Pennsylvania temporarily - to care for a sick relative, on an extended business trip, or for other reasons. According to the PDE, if you are in PA temporarily, you don’t have to register your children if you are already registered/reporting/enrolled in your home state. However, if you are not covered elsewhere, and your children fall under PA's compulsory school age, you must register within 3-5 days. If your home state does not require registration or notification, contact the PDE for clarification as to how this applies to you.

Moving to Pennsylvania:

Don't Panic!

First of all, don't panic! PA's homeschooling laws are complex, but once you've gone through the process the first time it is fairly routine after that. While minor issues pop up here and there, most are due to district personnel who are not familiar with the details of the law and who are asking for more than the law requires. These issues are usually quickly solved by contacting the friendly Homeschooling Liaison at the PA Department of Education. Serious problems are rare, even for those who take a more relaxed approach to homeschooling. PA is home to a wonderful, diverse community of homeschoolers -- Welcome!

Check the Compulsory School Age.

If your child is under age 8 or over 17, you may not have to file at all, though some families choose to - see Compulsory School Age.

Choose your legal category.

The next step is to decide which PA homeschooling option is best for your family. The PA Home Education Law is the most widely-used option in PA, though there are a few Alternatives to the Home Education Law, primarily the Private Tutor option and the PA Public Cyber-Charter Schools. If you choose the Home Education Law, the first step is to file a home education affidavit.

Figure out when you should file.

According to the PDE, if you move to PA in the middle of the school year, and your children are of compulsory school age, you must register with your local school district within 3-4 days of your move. If you move at the very end of the school year, and you have already completed the school year in your previous location, you may wait until the next school year to register. (Contact the PDE if you have questions about your specific situation.) You can file a home education affidavit for the next year (and thus begin counting your 180 days or 900/990 hours) as early as July 1.

Take the next step.

This web site should guide you through the basics of getting started in PA. If you choose the Home Education option, you'll need to learn about the affidavit, creating a portfolio, keeping a log, doing standardized testing (only in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades), and getting an end-of-year evaluation. (Remember! Don't panic! It's easier than it sounds!) Be sure to seek out local support groups too. For now, read up on the affidavit, keep a box of things you can use for the portfolio (such as brochures from field trips, drawings, and samples of work), and keep a list of reading materials (for the log). You can figure out the details as you go along. Enjoy!

Homeschooling in PA: Moving Into, Out of, and Within Pennsylvania