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Arizona Homeschool Law



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Arizona's Revised Statutes Concerning Home Education

Please refer to Section 15 of Arizona's Revised Statutes

Additional relevant statutes:
15-763. Plan for providing special education; definition

A. All school districts and charter schools shall develop policies and procedures for providing special education to all children with disabilities within the district or charter school. All children with disabilities shall receive special education programming commensurate with their abilities and needs. Each child shall be ensured access to the general curriculum and an opportunity to meet the state's academic standards. Pupils who receive special education shall not be required to achieve passing scores on the Arizona instrument to measure standards test in order to graduate from high school unless the pupil is learning at a level appropriate for the pupil's grade level in a specific academic area and unless a passing score on the Arizona instrument to measure standards test is specifically required in a specific academic area by the pupil's individualized education program as mutually agreed on by the pupil's parents and the pupil's individualized education program team or the pupil, if the pupil is at least eighteen years of age. The pupil's individualized education program shall include any necessary testing accommodations. Special education services shall be provided at no cost to the parents of children with disabilities.

B. The state board of education shall adopt guidelines to define a parent's or guardian's role or a pupil's role, if the pupil is at least eighteen years of age, in the development of a pupil's section 504 plan as defined in section 15-731, including testing and testing accommodations.

C. For the purposes of determining the services to pupils served by private schools under existing federal law, the state shall consider the term to include home schooled pupils.

D. If federal monies are provided to a school district or a charter school for special education services to home schooled or private schooled pupils, the school district or charter school shall provide the services to both the home schooled pupils and the private schooled pupils in the same manner.

E. For the purposes of this section, "special education" has the same meaning prescribed in section 15-1201.


5-745. Children instructed at home; testing; prohibition

A. Nothing in this article shall be construed to require the testing of children who are instructed in a home school program while they are receiving home school instruction.

B. A child who enrolls in a kindergarten program or grades one through twelve after receiving instruction in a home school program shall be tested pursuant to this article in order to determine the appropriate grade level for the educational placement of the child.


15-802.01. Children instructed at home; eligibility to participate in interscholastic activities

A. Notwithstanding any other law, a child who resides within the attendance area of a public school and who is instructed at home shall be allowed to try out for interscholastic activities on behalf of the public school in the same manner as a pupil who is enrolled in that public school. Registration, age eligibility requirements, fees, insurance, transportation, physical condition, qualifications, responsibilities, event schedules, standards of behavior and performance policies for home schooled students shall be consistent with those policies established for students enrolled in that public school. The individual providing the primary instruction of a child who is instructed at home shall submit written verification that provides:

1. Whether the student is receiving a passing grade in each course or subject being taught.

2. Whether the student is maintaining satisfactory progress towards advancement or promotion.

B. A child who is instructed at home and who was previously enrolled in a school shall be ineligible to participate in interscholastic activities for the remainder of the school year during which the child was enrolled in a school.

C. A school district shall not contract with any private entity that supervises interscholastic activities if the private entity prohibits the participation of children instructed at home in interscholastic activities at public, private or charter schools.


15-802. School instruction; exceptions; violations; classification; definitions

A. Every child between the ages of six and sixteen years shall attend a school and shall be provided instruction in at least the subjects of reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science. The person who has custody of the child shall choose a public, private, charter or home school as defined in this section to provide instruction.
B. The parent or person who has custody shall do the following:

1. If the child will attend a public, private or charter school, enroll the child in and ensure that the child attends a public, private or charter school for the full time school is in session. If a child attends a school which is operated on a year-round basis the child shall regularly attend during school sessions that total not less than one hundred seventy-five school days or two hundred school days, as applicable, or the equivalent as approved by the superintendent of public instruction.

2. If the child will attend a private school or home school, file an affidavit of intent with the county school superintendent stating that the child is attending a regularly organized private school or is being provided with instruction in a home school. The affidavit of intent shall include:

(a) The child's name.

(b) The child's date of birth.

(c) The current address of the school the child is attending.

(d) The names, telephone numbers and addresses of the persons who currently have custody of the child.

3. If the child will attend home school, the child has not reached eight years of age by September 1 of the school year and the person who has custody of the child does not desire to begin home instruction until the child has reached eight years of age, file an affidavit of intent pursuant to paragraph 2 of this subsection stating that the person who has custody of the child does not desire to begin home school instruction.

C. An affidavit of intent shall be filed within thirty days from the time the child begins to attend a private school or home school and is not required thereafter unless the private school or the home school instruction is terminated and then resumed. The person who has custody of the child shall notify the county school superintendent within thirty days of the termination that the child is no longer being instructed at a private school or a home school. If the private school or home school instruction is resumed, the person who has custody of the child shall file another affidavit of intent with the county school superintendent within thirty days.

D. A person is excused from the duties prescribed by subsection A or B of this section if any of the following are shown to the satisfaction of the school principal or the school principal's designee:

1. The child is in such physical or mental condition that instruction is inexpedient or impracticable.

2. The child has completed the high school course of study necessary for completion of grade ten as prescribed by the state board of education.

3. The child has presented reasons for nonattendance at a public school which are satisfactory to the school principal or the school principal's designee. For purposes of this paragraph, the principal's designee may be the school district governing board.

4. The child is over fourteen years of age and is, with the consent of the person who has custody of him, employed at some lawful wage earning occupation.

5. The child is enrolled in a work training, career education, career and technical education, vocational education or manual training program which meets the educational standards established and approved by the department of education.

6. The child was either:

(a) Suspended and not directed to participate in an alternative education program.

(b) Expelled from a public school as provided in article 3 of this chapter.

7. The child is enrolled in an education program provided by a state educational or other institution.

E. Unless otherwise exempted in this section or section 15-803, a parent of a child between six and sixteen years of age or a person who has custody of a child, who does not provide instruction in a home school and who fails to enroll or fails to ensure that the child attends a public, private or charter school pursuant to this section is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor. A parent who fails to comply with the duty to file an affidavit of intent to provide instruction in a home school is guilty of a petty offense.

F. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Home school" means a school conducted primarily by the parent, guardian or other person who has custody of the child or instruction provided in the child's home.

2. "Private school" means a nonpublic institution, other than the child's home, where academic instruction is provided for at least the same number of days and hours each year as a public school.


15-828. Birth certificate; school records; exception

A. On enrollment of a pupil for the first time in a particular school district or private school offering instruction to pupils in any kindergarten programs or grades one through twelve, that school or school district shall notify the person enrolling the pupil in writing that within thirty days the person must provide one of the following:

1. A certified copy of the pupil's birth certificate.

2. Other reliable proof of the pupil's identity and age, including the pupil's baptismal certificate, an application for a social security number or original school registration records and an affidavit explaining the inability to provide a copy of the birth certificate.

3. A letter from the authorized representative of an agency having custody of the pupil pursuant to title 8, chapter 2 certifying that the pupil has been placed in the custody of the agency as prescribed by law.


B. If a child is instructed at home pursuant to section 15-802, the person who has custody of the child shall, within thirty days after the home instruction begins, provide to the county school superintendent of the county in which the child resides one of the following:

1. A certified copy of the child's birth certificate.

2. Other reliable proof of the child's identity and age, including the child's baptismal certificate, an application for a social security number or original school registration records and an affidavit explaining the inability to provide a copy of the birth certificate.

3. A letter from the authorized representative of an agency having custody of the pupil pursuant to title 8, chapter 2 certifying that the pupil has been placed in the custody of the agency as prescribed by law.


C. On presentation of a document pursuant to this section, a photocopy of the document shall be placed in the pupil's file and the document that is presented shall be returned.

D. On the failure of a person enrolling a pupil or instructing a child at home to comply with subsection A or B of this section, the school, school district or county school superintendent shall notify that person in writing that, unless the person complies within ten days, the case shall be referred to the local law enforcement agency for investigation. If compliance is not obtained within the ten day period, the school, school district or county school superintendent shall refer the case to the local law enforcement agency.

E. The school, school district or county school superintendent shall immediately report to the local law enforcement agency any affidavit received pursuant to this section which appears inaccurate or suspicious in form or content.

F. Within five school days after enrolling a transfer pupil from a private school or another school district, a school shall request directly from the pupil's previous school a certified copy of the pupil's record. The requesting school shall exercise due diligence in obtaining the copy of the record requested.

Notwithstanding any financial debt owed by the pupil, any school requested to forward a copy of a transferring pupil's record to the new school shall comply and forward the record within ten school days after receipt of the request unless the record has been flagged pursuant to section 15-829. If the record has been flagged, the requested school shall not forward the copy and shall notify the local law enforcement agency of the request. School districts shall include in the educational records required by this subsection data collected pursuant to sections 15-741 and 15-766, as prescribed by the state board of education.

G. Any disclosure of educational records by the school district or charter school shall comply with the family educational rights and privacy act of 1974 (20 United States Code section 1232g).

H. The provisions of this section do not apply to homeless pupils as defined in section 15-824, subsection C.


This page updated 06/2007.