Welcome to Lochburn's Homeschool Page

The main purpose of Lochburn Middle School is to facilitate a child's education. There are parents in our community who have choosen to "Homeschool" their child or children. They have the willingness,ability, and time to devote to this pursuit. To help support them in their work, Lochburn staff is here to collaborate with these families in their child's studies.

First, Let's Summarize Washington State's Laws Regulating Home-Base Instruction :

Compulsory Attendance

All children between the ages of 8 and 18 are required to attend school unless:

A). The child is physically or mentally unable to attend.

B). The child is fifteen years or older and:

1. The district superintendent determines such child has attained ninth grade proficiency, or

2. The child is regularly and lawfully engaged in a useful or renumerative occupation, or

3. The child has met state graduation requirements, or

4. The child has recieved a certificate of educational competence.

The child may attend the public school, or an approved private school, or recieve home-based instruction.

and include instruction in occupational education, science, mathmatics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and appreciation of art and music; and be provided for time "equivalent" to the number of of hours for private schools. (Note: The legislature recognized that home-based instruction is less structured and more experimental than classroom education, therefore it has been declared that these provisions of the nature and quantity of instruction shall be liberally construed.

B. Be provided by the child's parent(s), who:

1. is supervised by a certified teacher who has contact with the child 1 hour a week or an average of 4 hours per month, OR

2. has earned the equivalent of 45 college level quarter credit hours, OR

3. has taken a course in home-based instruction at a post-secondary institute or voc-tech institute (Note: there are institutions On-line which could probably provide you with the credits needed if you're not within driving distance of an appropriate class/institution), OR

4. has been deemed qualified by the local superintendant

Parents providing home-based instruction have the duty to :

A. File a declaration of intent annually which must:

1. Give the child's name and age, and

2. State if a teacher will be supervising, and

3. Be filed by September 15 or within two weeks of the Beginning of any quarter or semester, and

4. Use the format prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction(SPI)

B. Ensure that an annual standardized achievement test (those approved by the State Board of Education) is administered to the child by a qualified individual, or an academic progress assessment of the child is written by a Washington State certified teacher currently working in the field of education. Assessment or test results are the property of the parent only. These records are to be kept and given to the public or private school upon request should re-entry be desired.

Parents who comply with these duties shall be presumed to be providing home-based instruction.

Homeschooling may take place in conjunction with part-time attendance in the local public school or private school.

(This means you can homeschool in math, language arts, and history, and then supplement this schooling with public school instruction in Computer classes, Special Ed. classes, Music or other classes the parent(s) choose the child to attend.

(Note: If attending Lochburn for these classes (as with any school) we encourage the parent to take part in classroom activities.