What should you know about home schooling in Colorado?
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- Home schooling is deregulated in the state of Colorado. Therefore, the parent or guardian is taking on all of the responsibility for the student's education including but not limited to the acquisition of books, supplies, tests, and maintaining permanent records.
- There is no public funding available for home school programs.
- Home schooling falls under non-public education and is not accredited by the Colorado Department of Education or a local school district.
- A nonpublic home-based educational program shall include no less than one hundred seventy-two days of instruction, averaging four instructional contact hours per day. (22-33-104.5(3)(c), C.R.S.)
- Home school students are not required to take Colorado’s standardized tests, however the parent may request of their local school district that their child participate. Colorado specific assessments do not fulfill the requirement for home school students to take a nationally standardized test.
- A parent who intends to establish a nonpublic, home-based, education program does not need to provide written notification of the program to a school district within the state until the child is 6 years old. (22-33-104.5(3)(e), C.R.S.) It should be noted that the parent does not need to “establish the program until the child is seven years of age; or continue the program or provide notification after the child is sixteen years of age.” (CRS 22-33-104.5 (3)(e)(II) and 22-33-104.5 (3)(e)(III))
How do I register my home school program?
- The parent or guardian must provide written notification explaining the intent to home school his or her child. Notification can be given to any Colorado public school district office.
- This written notification must be given 14 days before the parent or guardian establishes the home school program. (22-33-104.5(3)(e), C.R.S.)
- The notification must list the child's name, age, place of residence, and attendance hours.
Please Note: Written notification must be re-submitted to the school district each year the home school program is maintained after the initial year.
If the written notification is not submitted to the school district the student resides in, it is advisable to notify the residing school district as well to avoid truancy action.

Where do I get textbooks, curricula, tests and other materials to home school my child?
- Contact an organization at Home School Resources, bookstores, supply houses, or your local school district. These organizations may be able to provide you with information on how to obtain materials.

What are the costs of home school materials?
- Home school resources vary, because entire programs can be purchased from private companies or the parent or guardian can create the curriculum. All costs are assumed by the parent or guardian.
What requirements or qualifications must I have to home school my child?
- You must be the child's parent, legal guardian or an adult relative designated by the parent. (22-33-104.5(3)(a), C.R.S.) No other qualifications or licenses are required.

NOTE: If your child is enrolled in a home school co-op program and those running the program will conduct an evaluation for educational progress, those teaching your child must be qualified. The law refers to a qualified person in the context of having a student evaluated NOT taught. CRS 22-33-104.5 (2)(c) “ “Qualified person" means an individual who is selected by the parent of a child who is participating in a nonpublic home-based educational program to evaluate such child's progress and who is a teacher licensed pursuant to article 60.5 of this title, a teacher who is employed by an independent or parochial school, a licensed psychologist, or a person with a graduate degree in education.”  (22-33-104.5(2)(c), C.R.S.)
What are the requirements for attendance?
- Your program shall include no less than 172 days of instruction, averaging four instructional contact hours per day. (22-33-104.5(3)(c), C.R.S.)
What subjects do I have to teach?
- Your program shall include, but is not limited to communication skills of reading, writing and speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, science, and regular courses of instruction in the constitution of the United States. (22-33-104.5(3)(d), C.R.S.)
What kind of records do I have to keep?
- Your records must include but are not limited to, attendance data, test and evaluation results, and immunization records. Such records may be requested by the school district that receives notification that the student is attending a home school program (22-33-104.5(3)(g), C.R.S.) School districts cannot request records without probable cause and must give fourteen days written notice. CRS 22-33-104.5 (3)(g): “Such records shall be produced to the school district that received the notification required by paragraph (e) of this subsection (3) upon fourteen days' written notice if the superintendent of said school district has probable cause to believe that said program is not in compliance with the guidelines established in this subsection (3)."

What kind of test is my child required to take? Who pays for it? Where do I get the test?
- The student being home schooled must either take a nationally standardized achievement test when he/she reaches grades three, five, seven, nine, and eleven to evaluate academic progress, or a qualified person must evaluate the student's academic progress at the parent's expense. Contact an organization at Home School Resources, or check with the local school district to see if the student can be tested the same day public school students are tested. The district may charge you for any costs incurred. It is the parent's obligation to report the test or evaluation results to either the school district that receives the written notification for the home school student, or report the test or evaluation results to an independent or parochial school.

* If the parent submitted the test or evaluation results to an independent or parochial school, the name of the school must be provided to the school district that receives written notification. (22-33-104.5(3)(f), C.R.S.)
NOTE: If your child is enrolled in a home school co-op program, it is still the parent's obligation to report test/evaluation results to the school district.
Is my home schooled child required to take a state assessment test?
- No. Home schooled students are required to take a nationally standardized test. However, if a parent or legal guardian requests it, a district shall permit a home schooled student to take the state assessment and provide the results of the assessment to the parent or legal guardian. The test is given only to home schooled students whose parents request that the child participate in the testing. (22-7-409 (III)(1.3)(b), C.R.S.)
Is there a state diploma or can my child earn one from the district?
- There is no state diploma. District diplomas are presented only to students who have attended a public high school in the district. Some companies selling home schooling curricula offer a diploma at the completion of their program. A parent or guardian can purchase a diploma at an office supply store or make a diploma on a computer to present at the completion of the program. Home school programs are not accredited by the state of Colorado or local school districts.
How can I find support groups or information on the Internet?
- Home School Resources is a list of resource and support groups you can contact with your questions and concerns. These organizations may be able to provide you with information for support groups in your area. Parents with home schooling experience are your best sources of information. You might also search the Internet or check with community groups and organizations for additional information.

Does my home schooled child have to take the GED?
- No. The adult in charge of the program may graduate the student by simply issuing a diploma. However, taking the GED (High School Equivalency) is an option.
Is there any funding available for home schooling?
- At the time of this update, there is no funding available.

Freedom for Homeschooling Parents Preserved with Last-Minute Amendment!

hslda.org/post/freedom-for-homeschooling-parents-preserved-with-last-minute-amendment

St. Thomas Aquinas Academy greatly appreciates the assistance that Home School Legal Defense Association offers to home educators. One of the recommendations to advise our members is to enroll with HSLDA. As there is a membership fee for enrollment, STAA offers a discount code for $20 off each family's membership fee to HSLDA. The discount code is #299911. Please use this on the HSLDA website on the enrollment form.

Good Afternoon To All! I wanted to send an update that came to me from Homeschool Legal Defence Association. They wanted me to pass this information on to everyone who participates in a homeschool option program run by your local school districts that you are relinquishing some of your rights as a homeschooler. 

Two rights you relinquish are: 

1. Your right to keep a social worker or police officer/deputy sheriff from speaking to your children privately. As a homeschooler here in Colorado if a social worker or police official comes to your home questioning your homeschooling, you reserve the right to tell the social worker or officer that they may speak to your lawyer from HSLDA, and you would remain in the room with your children the entire visit. BUT if you participate in an options program, these officials reserve the right to speak to your children privately and HSLDA may not be able to intervene. 

2. Your right to not participate in standardized testing. Currently as a homeschooler in Colorado you are asked to test your children in  3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11 th grades. The results of those tests are held by your family in your home records. If you participate in homeschool option programs run by your school district or any government funded program, they reserve the right to have your child participate in standardized testing at any time regardless of the odd year clause in the homeschool law. Again, this is a right that the options programs reserve for their students, and HSLDA may not be able intervene. 

Just wanted to bring these to your attention as we begin the very preliminary preparation for our next school year. Please feel free to contact me with any question. 

Dear Homeschool Families,

We are writing to ask you to take immediate action to oppose HB 19-1312 School Immunization Requirements.

Click here to take immediate action!

HSLDA has stated that "HB 19-1312 would impose significant and unreasonable burdens on all families in Colorado relating to the reporting of exemption or compliance with immunization regulations.  The bill would also affect all homeschoolers regardless of whether they seek an exemption from immunization."

Although CHEC neither encourages nor discourages parents from immunizing their children, we oppose all attempts by the state to interfere with parents deciding what is best for their children especially when the state seeks to require burdensome paperwork or create databases to track its citizens.

Below is a list of what you need to do to oppose this bill. This is time sensitive and WE HAVE HOURS TO ACT.

1. Call AND email ALL members of the House Health and Insurance Committee to let them know that you oppose this bill.
2. Attend the committee meeting on Wednesday, April 10th at 1:30 pm. One of the main ways that we can get the attention of the bill sponsor is if there is a large showing at this meeting.
3. Post on social media to get the word out about this serious attack on parental rights.
4. Pray fervently. "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever He will." Proverbs 21:1. Ultimately, only God is able to change the hearts of our leaders so that this bill is stopped.

God help us!
Steve Craig
CHEC Executive Director
Carolyn Martin
CHEC Homeschool Legislative Liaison

The link above no longer works, but you can still read about HB 1032 here: www.afa.net/activism/action-alerts/2019/colorado-lawmakers-want-to-teach-your-kids-this-take-action/