Committee discusses rise in home‑schooling; district says numbers mirror a national trend and offers reporting follow‑up

Committee members raised questions about a reported increase in families requesting home‑schooling. A member asked whether the district proactively contacts families who choose to homeschool and whether homeschool enrollments had grown dramatically: staff said the district notifies families upon approval and requires mid‑year and end‑of‑year reports, and confirmed the rise mirrors a national trend.

District staff said many homeschooling requests are not tied to special education needs and that reasons can include religious or transitional choices. The staff member told the committee that the district does not actively recruit homeschooling families and that its policy could be reviewed; the district agreed to assemble a report showing the grades of students who were homeschooled over the past three years, as requested by a committee member.

Members asked for that breakdown (by grade) before the next meeting and sought clarity on whether the district does follow‑up with families; staff said families do submit required reports and the district will provide the requested information.