Homeschool Information

  • Homeschool parents do everything that traditional private school administrators and teachers do but in the context of their home. This means planning what students learn, keeping all records, managing costs, and assuring the quality and scope of their student's education for college recruiters and employers. Students graduate from homeschools with homeschool diplomas and homeschool transcripts, just as they would from other private schools.  Minnesota homeschools are encouraged to carefully review the Homeschool Questions and Answers document provided by the Minnesota Department of Education.

    In accordance with Minnesota state law, Pequot Lakes Public Schools is required to ensure that all school-age children living within the district’s boundaries are being educated. The district’s primary role is to provide the necessary information and forms to each homeschool for compliance and documentation. The district has no educational records of students who have been homeschooled. Likewise, the district does not verify or certify any homeschool diploma or transcript.

    HOMESCHOOL REGISTRATION

    The following information is mandatory and must be submitted to the District Office by October 1 of each year. If complete information is not received, the district must report the homeschool as "not compliant" in its report to the state of Minnesota:

    -- New Homeschool Students --

    The person or nonpublic school in charge of providing instruction to a child must submit a Full Report to the superintendent of the school district where the child resides.  Information in the full report must be submitted:

    • Within 15 days of when a parent withdraws a child from public school after age seven to provide instruction in a nonpublic school that is not accredited by a state-recognized accrediting agency.
    • Within 15 days of moving out of a district.
    • By October 1, after a new resident district is established.

    Submit the Letter of Intent to Continue to Provide Instruction by October 1 in subsequent years.

    -- Existing Homeschool Students --

    Families must submit a Letter of Intent to Continue to Provide Instruction to the superintendent's office by October 1 of each year after a full report has been filed in the same district. Do NOT mail to the Minnesota Department of Education.  Any changes, including changes to assessment information, must be submitted.

    Submit immunization information if your child has new immunizations to report since last school year, or if the student is now in 7th grade and/or age 12.

    Paperwork can be emailed, faxed, mailed or dropped off in person to:

    Brenda Williams
    Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent
    Pequot Lakes Public Schools, District Office
    30805 Olson St
    Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
    Fax: 218-568-5259
    Email: bwilliams@isd186.org

    -- Enrollment Changes --

    If your child was previously enrolled in Pequot Lakes Public Schools and will not be homeschooled, please inform the school of their withdrawal. If you re-enroll your child in school, please inform Brenda Williams at 218-568-9334 or bwilliams@isd186.org that you are no longer homeschooling.

     

  • EDUCATIONAL REIMBURSEMENT RATE
    AND OTHER PROGRAMS

    Educational Reimbursement Rate

    The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has established the following nonpublic pupil aids reimbursement rate for the 2024-25 school year:

    • $120.97 per eligible pupil for textbooks, standardized tests, and individual instructional materials on a loan basis.  These funds may now be used for ACT testing.  Click here to view eligible expenses as defined by MDE Education Materials Eligible for Acquisition.

    If you choose to participate and in order to be eligible for reimbursement, you are required to complete and return the Student Report for Aids to Nonpublic Students form by October 1.  All receipts submitted for reimbursement must be dated during this fiscal year which begins July 1, 2024.    Receipts submitted after April 15 will NOT be reimbursed.  All materials for which reimbursement is received are the property of Pequot Lakes Public Schools.  Appendix A (from MDE’s Education Aids for Nonpublic School Students document) outlines the educational materials that are eligible for reimbursement through this program.

    Federal Programs

    Participation in some federal programs may be available to nonpublic students, including homeschool, who qualify on the basis of free and reduced lunches and who are achieving below grade level.

    Special Education

    State and federal laws require every school district to provide special education and related services to students, public and private, who are eligible under the guidelines of the state. In Minnesota, homeschools are considered “nonpublic” schools.

    To determine if a student is in need of special education and related services, a comprehensive evaluation must be conducted by special education staff.

    Pequot Lakes Public Schools provides a full continuum of services for students with disabilities from birth to age 21.  Each school has a full complement of special education teachers and related service providers (such as occupational and physical therapists) to address the needs of students with disabilities in grades K-12.  Services for very young children are provided in homes, child-care settings, preschools, and in the district’s early childhood special education program.