Laws that regulate home education vary from state to state. It is important to understand the legal requirements in your state and to be aware of legislative and other legal issues that affect homeschoolers in your community. We've compiled resources that will help you become informed. Although homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, and the vast majority of homeschoolers face no problems, you may find that you need legal assistance at some point in your homeschooling career. We've compiled a list of resources to help you find the support you need. And if you'd like to become more involved in working towards homeschooling freedoms, we discuss some of the issues facing homeschoolers that we hope you find compelling.
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| State Laws |
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Read the laws regulating home education in Montana and browse through the case law and legal opinions relating to those laws, along with government publications relating to homeschooling and summaries of the laws.
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| Forms |
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Which forms do you need to fill out? Where can you get them? Here is a list of useful forms for homeschooling in Montana.
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| Legal Support |
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If you need legal information or have run into a legal situation regarding your decision to homeschool, these resources will be helpful.
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| Lobbying Groups |
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A listing of local and national lobbying groups and information on how you can become involved in the political process to ensure the freedom to homeschool is protected.
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| Attorneys |
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When searching for an attorney, it is helpful to know whether he or she has experience working with homeschoolers and is interested in protecting the right to homeschool.
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| Legal Issues |
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Is homeschooling legal? Which laws pertain to homeschoolers and which don't? How do homeschoolers protect their rights to freely educate their children and to preserve their privacy?
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| Government Resources |
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A listing of local and state government resources, including your state's Department of Education, school districts, and Senate and House of Representative information.
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How Rulings in Homeschooling Custody Cases Affect Us All |
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Larry and Susan Kaseman |
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Homeschooling sometimes becomes an issue for a divorced homeschooling parent whose ex-spouse opposes it. Homeschoolers who turn such conflicts over to attorneys and the courts find that most attorneys and judges know little about homeschooling and many are biased against it. Judges often rule that parents can only homeschool if they agree to do more than is required by the state homeschooling law. This can be a serious blow to families. It also sets legal precedents that give the state greater control over homeschooling and undermine the homeschooling freedoms of all of us. Fortunately, homeschoolers involved in custody disputes and their supporters can work to prevent this from happening. We can minimize such precedents by working to ensure that court cases are decided on the basis of the law and not the biases and prejudices of attorneys and judges. |
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Montana Coalition of Home Educators |
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The Montana Coalition of Home Educators came together in 1988 as a cooperative effort of many individuals, organizations, and support groups in the state. The goal was to bring homeschoolers together to protect Montana's home school freedom while maintaining the independence and autonomy of the individual families and the existing local and state organizations. To accomplish this goal, a loose network of these groups, individuals and organizations was formed. An executive committee was selected to serve as a central clearinghouse for information, to set up and maintain a communication network, to watch for political and legal threats to Montana's freedom, and to inform homeschoolers and suggest possible actions to meet those threats.
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The Rutherford Institute |
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The Rutherford Institute is an international legal and educational organization dedicated to preserving human rights and defending civil liberties. Deeply committed to protecting the constitutional freedoms of every American and the integral human rights of all people, The Rutherford Institute has emerged as a prominent leader in the national dialogue on civil
liberties and equal rights. Parents have a constitutional right to direct and control the upbringing of their children, and laws or governmental actions that unreasonably infringe the rights of parents to raise and educate their children according to their own values are constitutionally suspect. The Rutherford Institute responds to over one thousand requests for assistance annually from parents whose rights were placed in jeopardy. |
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