IHBG - Home Education
Policy IHBG
Adopted: October 22, 2015
Amended: October 19, 2023
The Hopkinton School Committee recognizes and respects the right of parents and or guardians to educate their child(ren) at home. The Committee appreciates the personal and cultural uniqueness of each family and desires to ensure that the process by which school officials approve and review home education programs is both lawful and equitable.
Parent(s) or guardian(s) planning to establish a home education program for their six- through sixteen- year old child(ren) shall inform the Superintendent in writing by completing the Notice of Intent to Pursue a Program of Home Education or comparable form (one per child) and submitting it to the Office of the Superintendent at least 14 days prior to removing the child from the public school. Incomplete applications will not be approved.
The Committee delegates the approval of home instruction to the Superintendent or his, her, their designee. Any approval or rejection of an application by the Superintendent is subject to review by the Committee. After initial approval, the parent or guardian shall provide an annual statement of intent to continue the home education program as long as the child(ren) are being educated in a home-based environment. This statement, along with the agreed-upon assessment(s) (as outlined in the initial Notice of Intent) must be submitted annually, by August 31, to the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.
Home education programs will be considered in an equitable, objective, and timely manner. Factors that may be considered by the Superintendent in deciding whether or not to approve a home education proposal are:
1. The educational program including subjects and instructional materials. In order to meet the specific educational needs of their child(ren), the parent(s) or guardian(s) may adjust the material to achieve the goals of the educational program without further notification to the Office of the Superintendent.
2. The number of instructional hours to be provided in each subject.
3. The competency of the parent(s)/guardian(s) to teach the child(ren). Home educators need not be licensed as teachers.
4. A mutually agreeable method of assessment, which corresponds to the type of educational program being followed and may include standardized testing, to ensure educational progress and the attainment of minimum standards.
A student who is being educated in a home-based program within the Hopkinton Public School District shall have access to public school activities of an extracurricular nature. Home-educated students participating in extracurricular activities are subject to the same participation fees, state and local regulations, and district policies and procedures as enrolled students. Extra-curricular is defined as programs and activities that take place outside of the regular school educational program, are ungraded and receive no academic credit. Examples would include, but not limited to: open seats in Virtual High School or TEC, school assemblies/enrichment, and after school clubs.
If a student who has been educated at home under an approved program wishes to enroll in the Hopkinton Public Schools, the decisions on course credit and grade placement are to be made by the Superintendent on the basis of the home study course content and assessments of the student’s academic progress.
Procedure References
IHBG-FRM1 Notice of Intent to Pursue a Program of Home Studies
School Committee Policies
- A - Foundations and Basic Commitments
- B - School Board Governance and Operations
- C - General School Administration
- D - Fiscal Management
- E - Support Services
- F - Facilities Development
- G - Personnel
- H - Negotiations
- I - Instructional Program
- J - Students
- K - School-Community Relations
- L - Education Agency Relations