Wayne County schools report rise in homeschool filings; district cites testing and parental choice

District staff presented the Wayne County homeschool report and told the board the number of homeschool filings has increased since the last reporting period. Staff said the January reporting count was 167 and that the county has seen an increase since then; the transcript does not include a single, exact current total to cite.

Staff explained how state rules allow parents to file homeschool paperwork online and immediately, creating enrollment churn: students can be withdrawn from district enrollment and returned quickly, which complicates truancy tracking and service planning. The staff member said some families cite state testing or similar objections as reasons for leaving public school and that many homeschool filings come from church-related programs.

Board members and staff discussed practical consequences: the district accepts homeschool notifications for students in grades 7–12 (the county’s virtual program serves those grades), and the district cannot unilaterally refuse a parent’s filing. Administrators said they send outreach in June to families of homeschooled students in grades 7–12 to inform them of district options, and noted the district could explore requesting authority to serve additional grades if demand justified it.

Staff also noted that earlier changes to state requirements — removing the prior requirement that a parent hold a college diploma to homeschool high school students — contributed to an uptick in filings when that change took effect. Board members asked staff to monitor the numbers because frequent in-and-out movement can affect truancy enforcement and district planning.