From: WPA <wpa@homeschooling-wpa.org>
Subject: Form PI-1206: Don't follow national organization's bad advice
To: "WPA" <wpa@homeschooling-wpa.org>
Date: Thursday, September 1, 2011, 12:12 PM
Dear WPA Members and Other Homeschoolers,
Please share this information with other homeschoolers.
A national homeschooling organization is suggesting that Wisconsin homeschoolers file paper copies of PI-1206 forms and refuse to provide some of the information on the form, including students' gender and grade level. This is bad advice that could lead to difficulty for Wisconsin homeschoolers for several reasons, including the following.
Please share this information with other homeschoolers.
A national homeschooling organization is suggesting that Wisconsin homeschoolers file paper copies of PI-1206 forms and refuse to provide some of the information on the form, including students' gender and grade level. This is bad advice that could lead to difficulty for Wisconsin homeschoolers for several reasons, including the following.
• The current form requires only information that is required by statute. (The DPI's original version of the form, created in 1984, exceeded the requirements of the statutes. WPA enlisted the help of legislators and others and was successful in getting the DPI to change the form so it was consistent with the statutes. WPA has successfully worked since 1984 to ensure that the DPI does not change the form so that it exceeds the requirements of the statutes.)
• The information on the form meets both the private school statute (which covers homeschools since they are private schools) and the school census statute (which covers public and private schools, including homeschools).
• Families who file paper forms put themselves and other homeschoolers at risk. The DPI has indicated that they will send back forms that are incomplete. Children in families whose forms have been rejected will not be considered enrolled and their parents will be in violation of the compulsory school attendance law after the date by which they were required to file the form. This could lead to truancy charges.
• If too many paper forms are submitted and rejected, the DPI or others may take this matter to the Wisconsin Legislature, which could lead to new legislation that requires more information from homeschoolers, increases state regulation of homeschooling, and reduces our homeschooling freedoms.
Therefore, WPA strongly urges homeschoolers to file completed forms electronically after the third Friday in September (unless their children are officially enrolled in a public or conventional private school, in which case they are required to file the form before they begin homeschooling) and not to give the DPI or anyone else any additional information such as children's names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, etc. For more information, see the article on page 10 of the September, 2011 WPA Newsletter (which you should receive soon by postal mail) and the WPA Web site at http://homeschooling-wpa.org/getting-started/#file.
Thank you,
The WPA Board
• The information on the form meets both the private school statute (which covers homeschools since they are private schools) and the school census statute (which covers public and private schools, including homeschools).
• Families who file paper forms put themselves and other homeschoolers at risk. The DPI has indicated that they will send back forms that are incomplete. Children in families whose forms have been rejected will not be considered enrolled and their parents will be in violation of the compulsory school attendance law after the date by which they were required to file the form. This could lead to truancy charges.
• If too many paper forms are submitted and rejected, the DPI or others may take this matter to the Wisconsin Legislature, which could lead to new legislation that requires more information from homeschoolers, increases state regulation of homeschooling, and reduces our homeschooling freedoms.
Therefore, WPA strongly urges homeschoolers to file completed forms electronically after the third Friday in September (unless their children are officially enrolled in a public or conventional private school, in which case they are required to file the form before they begin homeschooling) and not to give the DPI or anyone else any additional information such as children's names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, etc. For more information, see the article on page 10 of the September, 2011 WPA Newsletter (which you should receive soon by postal mail) and the WPA Web site at http://homeschooling-wpa.org/getting-started/#file.
Thank you,
The WPA Board
Wisconsin Parents AssociationPost Office Box 2502Madison WI 53701-2502Voice Mail 608.283.3131http://homeschooling-wpa.org/
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