As the pandemic has forced Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) schools into distance learning mode, some parents have chosen to privately homeschool their children as opposed to participating in the online options SMMUSD offers for virtual education.
But to do that, parents must first file the right paperwork with the correct governing board, which ensures that parents meet requirements such as providing instructional materials and reporting grades.
Though parents are not required to report to their school district, SMMUSD is legally responsible for checking on school-age children.
In a message disseminated to all SMMUSD principals to pass along to their communities last week, the school district asked newly homeschooling parents to inform them of their plans, submit a document formally withdrawing their children from the school and file the correct homeschooling affidavit order to avoid confusion.
“We have not previously experienced this exit for homeschooling,” SMMUSD representative Gail Pinsker said. “Once we started seeing an issue when school started and some students did not show up, we wanted to make sure parents are aware.”