Dear WPA Members and Other Homeschoolers,

Please share this information with other homeschoolers.

Having read the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)'s most recent post http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/wi/201109160.asp, WPA continues to stand by its posts http://issues.homeschooling-wpa.org/filing-form-pi-1206/. Our position is based on our 27 years of experience in Wisconsin and our knowledge of Wisconsin homeschooling law (which we helped write) and the PI-1206 form. We have worked to ensure that the form requires the minimum information possible from homeschoolers. It does not require children's names, ages, Social Security numbers, etc. The result is a form that maximizes and protects Wisconsin homeschoolers' freedoms.
 
The bottom line is this: WPA encourages homeschoolers to file form PI-1206 online and not use HSLDA's paper form. Homeschoolers risk being charged with truancy if they file a paper form or if they begin homeschooling after the third Friday in September and do not file a form this year. They may be taken to court. If enough homeschoolers do this, legislation may be introduced that would increase state regulation of homeschooling. Homeschoolers working together through WPA have worked hard since 1984 to develop and get passed and then maintain one of the best homeschooling laws in the nation. It is working well for homeschoolers in Wisconsin. To us, homeschooling freedom means being able to educate our children according to our principles and beliefs. It saddens us to think that anyone would knowingly or unknowingly jeopardize this law. But we are determined and prepared to continue to work hard to maintain homeschooling freedoms in Wisconsin.

Thanks to the work done by homeschoolers working together through WPA, nothing has changed on form PI-1206 since 1984. The information homeschoolers provide on the online form is exactly the same as has been required for the past 27 years. During this time, it has not caused problems. WPA watches very carefully for requests or demands by the DPI for information that is new and/or exceeds the DPI's authority under the law. For example, in August 2010, the DPI's first proposed version of the new electronic form included two new pieces of information. It required homeschoolers to use an email address as our ID, and it requested our phone numbers. WPA convinced the DPI to accept an ID that was not an email address. (We explain on our Web site why it is important not to use an email address.  http://homeschooling-wpa.org/getting-started/#file) WPA also convinced the DPI to completely remove its request for our phone numbers.

In addition, note that many government agencies now require filing online forms for tax purposes, etc. During a court case or a legislative battle, how many judges or legislators would think filing a form online was a problem?

Thank you for your continuing commitment to homeschooling freedoms.

The WPA Board

Dear WPA Members and Other Homeschoolers,

Please share this with other homeschoolers.
Wisconsin families continue to act wisely and courageously. WPA continues to give them important information and strong support and to work along with them. As a result, situations that could have weakened homeschooling have been turned around and instead have strengthened homeschooling. Here are a few recent examples.

In brief (details below):
Example 1: Homeschool diplomas are now being officially recognized and treated like other diplomas by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ).
Example 2: WPA educated Fox Valley Technical College about homeschool diplomas and convinced them to accept a homeschool diploma they had rejected. This allowed the student to receive a federal student loan that had been approved and then withheld by the college.

Example 3: A local school district with a long history of opposing homeschooling has just agreed not to charge homeschoolers with truancy when they are not enrolled in a conventional school and file their PI-1206 forms after the third Friday in September and before October 15th.

WPA Members and Other Homeschoolers:

Please share this information with other homeschoolers.

This email is a followup to two previous emails sent on 9/1/2011 and 9/9/2011; see below.

Summary (details below):
• WPA and HSLDA did not talk today because HSLDA refused to agree to have the conversation recorded.
• The information asked for on the online form PI-1206 is exactly the same as was on the former paper form from 1984 through 2009-2010.
• WPA continues to recommend that homeschoolers file their PI-1206 forms online to prevent court cases and legislation that would further regulate homeschooling.
• Thank you for your emails to WPA and your comments on Facebook.

WPA Members and Other Homeschoolers,

Please share this information with others. People need to know that following the Home School Legal Defense Association’s (HSLDA’s) counsel is dangerous to individuals and to all homeschoolers. You may understand the importance of filing the form correctly and maintaining our good homeschooling law, but not all homeschoolers do. Tell them and support WPA.

Despite the fact that the homeschooling form PI-1206 has worked well for 27 years, HSLDA is counseling Wisconsin homeschoolers to change their filing in ways that would undoubtedly result in individual families being charged with truancy and in court cases and/or legislation that could lead to greater regulation of homeschooling in Wisconsin.

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