Thursday is the deadline to file the Notice of Intent to Home School in Arkansas.
By law, home schoolers in Arkansas must file the annual Notice of Intent form with their local public school district on or before August 15. The form simply informs the district superintendent that the family intends to home school in the coming school year. The law also requires home schoolers to provide basic information, such as the grades of their children, when they complete the Notice of Intent.
In the past, attorneys at the Arkansas Department of Human Services have told us firsthand that having a Notice of Intent to Home School on file with the school district is a home schooler’s best defense against accusations of educational neglect or truancy.
If a social worker with an ax to grind against home schooling shows up on your doorstep, a properly filed Notice of Intent form may be all that stands between you and a bad day in court. It may seem like just a piece of paper, but it’s a priceless piece of protection if someone accuses you of neglecting your children.
The 2024-2025 school year’s Notice of Intent form is available for download here. Home schoolers can simply print it, fill it out, and mail it or deliver it to the local public school superintendent’s office.
Home schoolers may also file the Notice of Intent electronically online. More information about how to do that is available here.
Home schoolers who encounter any difficulty completing the Notice of Intent online or on paper can contact the Arkansas Department of Education’s Home School Office at 501-683-3162.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
