Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. PJI provides free representation to parents who are unlawfully denied the right to homeschool their children. PJI also provides legal counsel to those parents wishing to homeschool, but do not know their legal options or obligations.

Parents with a valid teaching credential can act as tutors for their children, or parents may employ a credentialed teacher. However, tutors and parents who choose to tutor their own children must fulfill all of the requirements of §48224.

California Homeschool Network is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the fundamental right of parents to educate their children.

Required Courses of Study-Course of Study, Grades 1 to 6. Lists the requirements for grades 1 to 6, including English, reading, mathematics, social sciences, science, fine arts, health, and physical education.

Discuss state and federal laws, proposed laws and all legal issues of interest to California homeschoolers. New homeschoolers (and their questions) are welcome!

Compulsory Education Law-Pupils Exempt. This section includes the exemption from attendance to a public full-time day school that pertains to homeschoolers.

The Homeschool Association of California lists selected statutes that pertain to homeschoolers in California.

Find the laws pertaining to home education for all 50 states and U.S. territories.

The Home School Legal Defense Association provides a brief summary of the homeschooling laws in California. Includes a link to a legal analysis of laws relating to homeschooling in California.

Commission on Teacher Credentialing. This section pertains to private schools requirement of submission of criminal record summary information.

As their ranks increase, homeschoolers are tapping public schools for curriculum, part-time classes, extracurricular services, and online learning.

These attorneys have indicated that they are willing to provide legal information, consult with or represent homeschoolers on homeschooling or other legal issues they may have in their states. Most of these attorneys homeschool or have homeschooled their own children.

California Homeschool Network's volunteer legal committee doesn't give legal advice, but they can share information about the experiences of other homeschoolers who have asked those same questions, and they can help you understand current homeschool laws and regulations. The CHN Legal Defense Fund was established in 2000 to benefit families who do not qualify, for any reason, for assistance from one of the other legal services organizations.

This list of ten questions touches on political issues that affect and are important to homeschoolers. It includes tips on how to frame questions and how to elicit a candidate's opinion on a variety of issues.

The Home School Legal Defense Association is a non-profit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. HSLDA offers annual memberships and fully represents member families when they are in need of legal assistance. HSLDA also participates in legislative advocacy and research.

Some veteran home educators seem to take a firm stand on principles that others don't even recognize as issues. Is it that they are just stubborn, rebellious, or cantankerous? Probably not.

This list is created to be a means of informing, documenting and evaluating available information concerning the impact of virtual/charter schools on the homeschooling community. This information consists of and is not limited to news items, articles from various sources, legislative information (bills, law changes), documented efforts and experiences and other information that may give weight to whether home-based charter schools or virtual schools are having an impact in any negative way on homeschooling.

Authorized Classes and Courses of Instruction-Independent Study. Provisions for independent study.

Admission-Persons Included. Section relating to compulsory education requirements.

The primary point of this essay is to explain--as thoroughly as possible--why homeschooling under California's private school exemption is perfectly legal. It includes as much basic legal information as possible, to serve as a foundation to analyses which are at times complex.

Compulsory Continuation Education-Pupils Exempt. Pertains to homeschoolers who are considered a private school.

Many homeschoolers are reluctantly drawn to homeschooling because the schools failed their children. This trend is expanding to include children in special needs programs, resulting in an increasing number of questions from parents choosing to homeschool their children who are interested in continuing or obtaining special needs help from the schools. In many instances a special needs child shows tremendous gains just by being removed from the public school situation and educated at home by loving and caring parents who are able to provide the stimulation and enrichment each child needs and deserves. If services are offered the family is not required to accept them. Many families do just fine without government help, but if you need it, special needs services are available to homeschoolers.

Required Courses of Study-Course of Study, Grades 7 to 12. Lists the requirements for grades 7 to 12, including English, reading, social sciences, foreign language, physical education, science, mathematics, fine arts, applied arts, vocational-technical education, automibile driver education, and other studies. Section 51220.5 addresses the requirement of a course in parenting skills for grades 7 or 8, along with the requirements for exemption. Section 51221 adds the teaching of conservation (wise use of natural resources) to the requirements for social science. Section 51221.3 lists the requirements for receiving a diploma.

Index to the entire California Education Code. Sections pertaining to home education include Sections 33190-33193, 44237, 48200, 48220, 48222, 48224, 48415, 51210, 51220, 51220.5, 51221, 51225.3, 51745, and 51747.3.

For some years, the Social Security Administration has permitted home schoolers to receive benefits in some cases. The agency used a fuzzy test involving several different factors. New documents from the Social Security Administration indicate that the agency has a much better defined policy in place now.

This Frequently Asked Question list includes everything you need to know about the legality of homeschooling in California.

Discusses some of the issues relating to homeschoolers in North Carolina placing their children in public charter and virtual charter schools for some or all of their education. Using examples from Alaska, California, and other parts of the country, author Dr. Karen Palasek examines why homeschooling parents need to be informed about the implications of this type of enrollment.

In addition to the private schools operated by one family for its own children, there are a number of other types of private schools that offer homeschooling programs. These schools range from the cooperatives, to for-profit ISPs that file paperwork and collect records for a fee, to site-based day schools that offer independent study, to distance learning programs.

Children are exempt from compulsory attendance if they "are being instructed in a private full-time day school by persons capable of teaching." (§48222) A private school has been defined as "any school, whether conducted for profit or not, giving a course of training similar to that given in a public school at or below the twelfth grade, including but not limited to schools owned or operated by any church." (Vehicle Code §492.) This broad definition includes home-based private schools as well as private school cooperatives and private school independent study programs. Whereas some of the private school programs operated by others may benefit some families, many families establish their own private schools. This article discusses how to do that. Includes information on record keeping.

The greatest obstacle pioneering homeschoolers faced two decades ago was daunting: in most states home education wasn't legal. This article details five of the most significant cases that have become landmark decisions in the move towards homeschooling freedoms: the DeJonge case in Michigan, the Jeffery case in Pennsylvania, the Diegel case in Ohio, the Triple E case in South Carolina, and the Calabretta case in California.

This is a list of tips for effective lobbying. Includes ways to lobby, things you can do now, and how to connect with other lobbyists.

Every important movement or trend in this country was followed by an onslaught of legislative actions which resulted in some legal stipulations that controlled the trend. What is really of concern is that this legislative control is not static, but very fluid, subject to change (meaning more restrictions in many cases). These changes occur through either more legislative actions on the part of the government or through interpretation in the judicial system. Currently, the homeschool movement is being closely monitored by various teacher unions, the public and legislative bodies throughout the United States, resulting in more and more laws being passed to control or monitor the movement. If the homeschool movement is to survive in a manner which we feel would be beneficial to us and society as a whole, we have to be more and more diligent in protecting our rights. The only way we can do this is to be more active in the political process. The question now becomes, how do we do this?

Comprehensive listing of links regarding California education laws, legislative issues, government information, and legal representation.

The HomeSchool Association of California supports and promotes the entire spectrum of homeschooling. They provide information, monitor and influence legislation, offer networking opportunities for homeschooling families, and more.

A summary of the options for home educating parents in California.

Enrolling your child in a public school independent study program is the legal equivalent to enrolling him in public school. These are the "home study" programs offered by many school districts. Public ISPs vary widely from school to school in the level of control they exert over their students and the services they offer. These programs can be appealing for a wide variety of reasons.

In California, families can legally homeschool their children by establishing a private school in their home and complying with the private school requirements of the California Education Code. Parents who have established and enrolled thier children in a home-based private school cannot be prosecuted for truancy. This legal brief provides a basis for understanding the laws in California relating to home education.

Verification of Private School Instruction. This section of the California Education Code addresses private schools in California. Home schools can be registered as private schools as one way to comply with the law.

An advisory group concerned with educating people about the need to eliminate government involvement in education and the rights of parents to educate their own children. On this site, you will find a public proclamation for the separation of school and state, which you can sign.

National Home Education Legal Defense was founded by Attorney Deborah G. Stevenson as a non-sectarian legal support organization. NHELD offers its members legal assistance by an attorney licensed to practice in your state working with NHELD licensed attorneys. Members are also kept apprised of pending legislative action, scholarship programs, and other programs beneficial to homeschoolers.

This list is an opportunity for homeschoolers to contact homeschooling attorneys and experts about homeschooling legal and litigation issues. It is an informal network of attorneys and legal experts that are concerned with litigation pending and threatened against homeschoolers. Its primary purpose is to exchange legal information within the profession, and to educate and support attorneys and experts involved in homeschool litigation.

The Association of HomeSchool Attorneys (AHSA) provides a list of attorneys who consult with and/or represent homeschoolers.

Although some government employees oppose homeschooling, most notably in the Department of Education's Legal Counsel's office, there is no indication that there is a systematic effort by the government to prevent homeschooling. First, compliance with one of the legal ways to homeschool is crucial. Second, the following factors may result in a referral: Pulling children out of public or private school after a dispute with the school (i.e.: ongoing truancy problems); custody battles; welfare referrals; or neighborhood disputes. As long as children are healthy, happy, involved with the community, and appear to be learning and thriving, the likelihood of a referral is reduced. What can you do if you are in one of the "high-risk" groups for referral? The most important thing to do is know your legal rights.

This is a list of states that have addressed issues of homeschooler participation in public school classes, sports, activities, etc.

This article takes a look at the effect of California law on certain special circumstances, including withdrawing your child from school mid-year, homeschooling after a divorce, contact by truancy officers, contact by Children's Protective Services, welfare benefits, and communities with curfews.

Although a credit or deduction could be helpful for homeschoolers, HSLDA opposes any tax break legislation that could come with governmental regulations. Homeschoolers have fought far too long and much too hard to throw off the chains of government regulation that hinder effective education and interfere with liberty. It would be inconsistent and foolhardy to accept tax incentives in exchange for government regulation. However, HSLDA supports tax credits that promote educational choice without threatening any regulation of homeschoolers. - See more at: http://nche.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200504150.asp#sthash.tvLv2ItR.dpuf

Details the importance of support alternative educational choices, including private schools and vouchers, along with homeschooling.