On August 1, 2012, the Code of Alabama will require all students aged 6 to 17 to be enrolled in a school. How does this affect church schools and families that homeschool? Now, parents will need to enroll and file a Church School Enrollment Form with the school superintendent a whole year earlier! We advise our families to enroll students who will become age 6 in the upcoming school year (whether November or March birthday). In our dealings with the school boards in the past, they have interpreted their role in execution of this law to mean that any student that will be age 6 within the school year should be enrolled, though the law does not clearly define this stand. There is an amendment to this law that allows a parent to write their local school board for an extension to age 7.
Here is a link to HSLDA’s information regarding this law: http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/al/201205170.asp. You can also check out other educational legislation that will affect our school and families at: http://www.hslda.org/legislation/state/AL/default.asp.
To see the wording of SB28 that was signed into law, click here.
We highly recommend that you stay in contact with your representatives regarding their actions and that you seek legal advice regarding your educational choices that may go outside of the written law.
