Legal/Homeschool Laws
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.
State Laws
Read the laws regulating home education in New Mexico 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.
Forms
Which forms do you need to fill out? Where can you get them? Here is a list of useful forms for homeschooling in New Mexico.
Legal Support
If you need legal information or have run into a legal situation regarding your decision to homeschool, these resources will be helpful.
Lobbying Groups
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.
Attorneys
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.
Legal Issues
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?
Government Resources
A listing of local and state government resources, including your state's Department of Education, school districts, and Senate and House of Representative information.
What's Popular
24-5-1. Immunization regulations.
The public health division of the department of health shall, after consultation with the state board of education, promulgate rules and regulations governing the immunization against diseases deemed to be dangerous to the public health, to be required of children attending public, private, home or parochial schools in the state ...
Compulsory School Age in Colorado
Colorado law requires that every child who is 6 years old on or before August 1 of the current school year, and under the age of 17, must attend school. If a homeschool is operating under Colorado’s home education statute (Option 1), the parents may wait to begin actual instruction until their child is 7 years old; however, they must still submit a notice of intent beginning with the school year that the child turns 6 by August 1.
New Mexico Home School Achievement Test Guidelines
I. Each School District is Responsible for the Following:
A. MUST arrange a place and time for testing home school students. The location may be outside the school building. The time must be within the state testing timeframe. Notification of the time and place must be provided to all home school operators by January 30.
B. MUST allow trained home school operators to be test administrators for home school students. When a home school operator(s) is unavailable or not interested, trained s...
Colorado Department of Education Home School Information
Colorado Department of Education has compiled information regarding home education in the state. Includes information about getting started homeschooling, subjects to teach, attendance requirements, recordkeeping, assessment and evaluations, and resources.
Colorado Home School Laws
The Home School Legal Defense Association provides a brief summary of the homeschooling laws in Colorado. Includes a link to a legal analysis of laws relating to homeschooling in Colorado.
Procedures Manual for Home School Operators in New Mexico (pdf)
Issued by the New Mexico State Department of Education, this Procedures Manual for Home School Operators in New Mexico is intended to provide parents, legal guardians, and local school district officials direction for implementing the legislation regulating home education. This link goes to a pdf file, requiring Adobe Reader to view.
Home School Procedures for Public School Districts
A list of requirement for public school districts in relations to homeschoolers in their district.
24-5-3. Exemption from immunization.
A. Any minor child through his parent or guardian may file with the health authority charged with the duty of enforcing the immunization laws:
(1) a certificate of a duly licensed physician stating that the physical condition of the child is such that immunization would seriously endanger the life or health of the child; or
(2) affidavits or written affirmation from an officer of a recognized religious denomination that such child's parents or guardians are bona fide members of a...
Special Education Provisions for Colorado: Regulations and Resources for Your Special Needs Homeschool
If you are homeschooling a child with special needs, you need to follow your state’s homeschool regulations. There are no additional requirements for homeschooling children with special needs.
Northern Colorado Homeschool Association
Northern Colorado Homeschool Association (NCHA) is a non-profit group for homeschooling parents and children of all ages. The majority of our families live along the Northern Colorado Front Range (Fort Collins, Windsor, Loveland Area). We are an inclusive, secular, eclectic, local, member-run organization that honors the diversity of homeschoolers and provides a supportive community for our members.
22-1-2.1. Home school; requirements.
Any person operating or intending to operate a home school shall:
A. within thirty days of its establishment, notify the state superintendent of the establishment of a home school within thirty days of its establishment and notify the state superintendent in writing on or before April 1 of each subsequent year of operation of the school district from which the home school is drawing students;
B. maintain records of student disease immunization or a waiver of that requirement; and
C...
Colorado Statute 22-32-116.5
Extracurricular and interscholastic activities. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, each school district and each public school, subject to the requirements of this section, shall allow any student enrolled in a school or participating in a nonpublic home-based educational program to participate on an equal basis in any activity offered by the school district or the public school that is not offered at the student's school of attendance or through the student's nonpublic home-ba...
Colorado Statute 25-4-903 - Exemptions from Immunization - Rules
Regulations concerning exemptions from required immunizations in the state of Colorado.
New Mexico Legislature
Find your legislator, watch current bills, research state statutes, and more.
New Mexico Home School Laws from HSLDA
The Home School Legal Defense Association provides a brief summary of the homeschooling laws in New Mexico. Includes a link to a legal analysis of laws relating to homeschooling in New Mexico.
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Featured Resources
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A Little Way of Homeschooling
This book is a compilation of the experiences of 13 different homeschoolers and how they incorporated an unschooling style of teaching in their homes. This book addresses the question of whether a Catholic can happily and successfully unschool. This ...
Children at Play : Using Waldorf Principles to Foster Childhood Development
Children at Play is an insightful exploration into the world of children's play and its tremendous significance in the shaping of each child's humanity. A mother and proponent of Rudolf Steiner's Waldorf system of education, author Heidi Britz-Crecel...
Homeschooling For Dummies
This comprehensive guide gets you off to a great start. From helpful advice on how to decide if homeschooling is right for you, to how to get started, to complying with all legal requirements, you'll find what you need at the beginning of your homesc...
Classical Education & The Home School
Classical education is an idea whose time has come again. When parents see the failures of modern education, they look for better solutions and classical education is one that has been tested in the past and found to be good. For the Christian home e...
Drawn Into the Heart of Reading
Drawn Into the Heart of Reading was developed for use with students of multiple ages at the same time, perfect for the homeschooling family. It is designed for use as an entire reading program or as a supplement to an existing program for students in...