Home Instruction

In accordance with Va. Code § 22.1-254.1 and King George County Schools Policy LBD, below you will find information for completing the home instruction process.

Home Instruction Process

Beginning of School Year: Submit a Notice of Intent and the supporting documents. You can use any form for the Notice of Intent, as long as it includes all required components. KGCS provides this Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction (NOI) for your convenience.

Supporting Documents: There are four options for home instruction. Depending on which option you choose, there are additional documents you must provide such as a copy of your high school diploma, teaching license, etc. (See example NOI form above for more information.)

All families must also submit a list of subjects their child will be studying for that school year. 

The NOI and supporting documents must be submitted by August 15 of each school year. See important notes in the middle column under "Notice of Intent Submission". 

End of School Year: Submit progress information at the end of the school year. Evidence of progress must be received by August 1 before the next school year. There are several ways to document evidence of progress. Refer to Va Code § 22.1-254.1 for more information. 

Ending Home Instruction: If you discontinue home instruction in King George County, (i.e. you move or enroll the child in school), please notify this office by submitting the following form. This form is optional, but it is very helpful in closing out your family's file so that we are not awaiting your NOI the following year.

Transferring to King George County Schools from Home Instruction

As excerpted and summarized from the Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) home instruction manual:

"These provisions impact any home schooled student who wishes to transfer back to a public school and wants to receive credit for courses taken while home schooled.

Section 22.1-253.13:4 of the Code of Virginia (Standard 4 of the Standards of Quality) requires local school boards to make provisions for students who transfer between secondary schools and from nonpublic schools or from home instruction as outlined in the SOA.

Students transferring in grades K-8 from Virginia public schools or nonpublic schools accredited by the Virginia Council for Private Education [VCPE] shall be given recognition for all grade-level work completed.

The academic record of students transferring from all other schools (including home school) shall be evaluated to determine appropriate grade placement in accordance with policies adopted by the local school board. (8VAC20-131-60.A)

A secondary school (grades 9-12) shall accept credits toward graduation received from Virginia nonpublic schools accredited by [VCPE].... (8VAC20-131-60.D) Information about the VCPE and its members can be found at http://www.vcpe.org/.

If a school division does provide for a review of non-accredited programming, at minimum the courses for which the student received credit must match the description of, or can be substituted for, courses which the receiving school gives standard credit, and the school from which the child transfers certifies that the courses for which credit is given meet the requirements of 8VAC20-131-110 (140 clock hours of instruction).

Parents who wish to transfer students from home instruction to a public school should contact the local school division for information about the transfer process before choosing their home instruction programming."

If your child is entering high school and you wish for your student's home instruction record to be reviewed for transfer credit consideration, please contact this office for additional information.

Home Instruction Manual

The Virginia Department of Education has developed a manual to assist families with the home instruction process. You can find this manual here:

Home Instruction Handbook from the Virginia Department of Education

Notices of Intent are due August 15 and Evidence of Progress is due August 1. These annual requirements and deadlines are established by Virginia statute. You may begin submitting these documents after June 1. 

To ensure accurate processing of your family's file, please note the following:

• Documents may be submitted via postal mail, fax, hand-delivered, or emailed. While email is often easiest for families, postal mail is preferred to prevent these important documents from going to email spam folders.

• To document receipt of delivery, you should mail your items with tracking or confirmed delivery with return receipt. Please do not request a signature for confirmed delivery, as this will significantly delay delivery or cause your documents to be returned undelivered. 

• Write your child's name on all documents. Loose papers with no name on them (e.g. a list of subjects) cannot be identified and are discarded. This includes documents sent via email. Attachments are sent to a shared printer and may be shuffled out of order. 
  

• Keep a copy of your completed Notice of Intent for your records as this is often required for such things as DMV, RCC, etc. We do not provide copies of any submitted documents.

• Send end of year progress and new Notice of Intent at the same time, in the same envelope, whenever possible. 

• Include your last name and address on the return of the envelope. During the busiest times for submission (late July - mid August), unopened envelopes are filed alphabetically while waiting for processing. Many times, families call with questions ("I can't remember if I included my....!"). If the envelope has not been processed and has no last name, we are unable to confirm receipt. 

Mail documents to: 

King George County Schools
c/o Home Instruction
PO Box 1239
King George, VA 22485

Hand Deliver documents to: 

King George County Schools
c/o Home Instruction
9100 St. Anthony's Road
King George, VA 22485

Acknowledgement Letters

The Code of Virginia does not require school divisions to provide letters of acknowledgement to home instruction families. However, KGCS recognizes that families use these letters for many purposes.

On-Time Submissions
Documents that are received before the established statutory deadlines (Aug 1 and Aug 15), are processed beginning September 1. On-time submissions are processed in alphabetical order in batches each month until all documents have been processed. The last batch usually goes out around December. 

If you submitted your documents on time, and need a letter ahead of this time frame, you must submit this request in writing. Do not include this correspondence in the same envelope as your NOI, as it will not be seen ahead of time. Include a copy of supporting documents requiring such a letter (online driver's ed, etc). 

Late Submissions
Documents that are received after the statutory deadline has passed through November 30 will be processed in batches after all on-time submissions have been processed. Please note that this means if any documents are received past the deadline, you may not receive a letter until December or later. If you submitted any documents passed the deadline, we are unable to respond to requests for letters ahead of this timeline.

Any notices submitted after December 1 will receive a letter upon request only.

If we have not received a Notice of Intent and all supporting documents by September 15, and we have no indication of a student meeting the compulsory attendance statute by other means, a CHINS-truancy petition may be filed with the courts.

Probationary Status

By the Code of Virginia 22.1-254.1 (excerpt, emphasis added):

In the event that evidence of progress as required in this subsection is not provided by the parent, the home instruction program for that child may be placed on probation for one year. Parents shall file with the division superintendent evidence of their ability to provide an adequate education for their child in compliance with subsection A and a remediation plan for the probationary year which indicates their program is designed to address any educational deficiency. Upon acceptance of such evidence and plan by the division superintendent, the home instruction may continue for one probationary year. If the remediation plan and evidence are not accepted or the required evidence of progress is not provided by August 1 following the probationary year, home instruction shall cease and the parent shall make other arrangements for the education of the child which comply with § Compulsory Attendance 22.1-254.

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*AP EXAMS are scheduled by the College Board during several weeks each spring, typically in April and May. The registration deadline for exams that will be offered locally at KGHS is March 1 each year. Contact Terri Morrison at 540-775-3535 x 3201 for registration information, as well as the list of exams KGHS offers.

*PSAT/NMSQT EXAMS are scheduled by the College Board at various testing locations around the country on specific dates. KGHS typically hosts the PSAT in October of each year.  Registration deadlines are established by the College Board. Contact Terri Morrison at 540-775-3535 x 3201 for registration information. 

For more information about these exams, or the availability of financial assistance to low-income and needy students, please view the College Board website at https://www.collegeboard.org/

*PreACT is not offered at King George County Schools. For more information on testing locations, registration deadlines, and financial assistance, please visit the ACT website.

Student Records

Parents should maintain copies of all documents regarding home instruction. This includes your NOI, evidence of progress, and the letter of acknowledgement received from KGCS. We do not maintain or provide additional copies. We can not discuss your child's home instruction with anyone, including colleges, military recruiters, or employers. With written parent permission, we can acknowledge whether or not the student completed the notification process and is in compliance with Va. Code.

From the Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) home instruction manual:

"Neither VDOE nor public school divisions maintain any academic records, such as transcripts or diploma status, for students who have been home schooled. Thus, the Department cannot verify a home schooled student's high school graduation status for military recruiters, colleges, universities, technical schools, employers, or any other entity. With the parent's permission or the student's permission if the student has reached the age of 18, organizations or individuals may contact the relevant local school division for information as to whether the student completed the home instruction process."

Section 22.1-254.1.G prohibits school divisions from disclosing to the Virginia Department of Education or any other person or entity outside of the local school division information from a parent or student regarding election to provide home instruction or regarding a claim of a religious exemption without the parent's written consent.

Part-Time Enrollment in King George County Schools

Section 22.1-253.13:2.N of the Code of Virginia allows (but does not require) school boards to permit part-time attendance of children receiving home instruction under the provisions of § 22.1-254.1 of the Code of Virginia.

KGCS does permit home instruction students to apply for part-time enrollment. If you are a current home school student, please contact this office to begin the application process. 

If you are a current KGCS student and you wish to withdraw to home instruction and enroll as a part-time student, you must withdraw to home instruction first by submitting your Notice of Intent and then apply for part-time enrollment. Children are not permitted to remain enrolled in school, attend class, or participate in school activities during the application process. Schools/teachers do not have the authority to enroll students on a part-time basis. Please contact this office to begin the application process.

Deadlines: Students in grades K-8 must apply before July 15 for the upcoming school year. Students in grades 9-12 must apply before July 15 for the Fall semester and before December 1 for the Spring Semester. Decisions are based in part on available resources and class sizes. Therefore, part-time applications do not receive acceptances until the week prior to the start of the semester. 

Part time students enrolled in courses with SOL tests are required to take these tests under the same regulations as full time students. 

All private school and home school students in grades 9-12 that live in King George County are eligible to apply for part-time enrollment in JROTC at King George High School. 

Additional Information

Special Education - Evaluation and related services may be available for students who are identified as needing additional support in their educational process. Please contact the Supervisor of Special Services at 540-775-5833 ext. 8621 for additional information.

Athletics - Home instruction students are not eligible to participate in athletics under VHSL eligibility guidelines.