2. If you are taking your child out of a school, public or private, it is important to contact the school to notify them that you are withdrawing your child from the school so that he/she will not be reported absent and be considered truant.

3. Complete a Declaration of Intent to Utilize a Home Study Program. HEIR recommends the use of our form because it meets every requirement of the law without exceeding requirements. Some forms available from the Georgia Department of Education and elsewhere are out of compliance with the law. Complete the “Declaration of Intent” form, and, if you wish, make a copy for your files.

4. Contact the office of your local school district Superintendent (information is available by county at www.doe.k12.ga.us – bottom left “System Guides”) to find out where to send your completed Declaration of Intent. These are due by September 1st, or within 30 days of the establishment of your home study program.

5. At the end of each month, send in a completed Attendance Form to the correct address (normally the same as the one to which you mail the Declaration of Intent). Again, you may wish to keep a copy for your files.

Tips:

• When filling out the dates for your home school, be sure to give yourself a full 365 days, (for example, Aug. 24, 2005 thru Aug. 23, 2006.).
• If you are withdrawing your child from a public or private school during the school year, find out from the school how many days your child has attended when you withdraw him/her. On the first Attendance Form you submit, make a note that your child was a student at __________ school until __________date and completed ____ days. Begin your home school record-keeping with that number of days.