Home School Enrollment

Families must submit a Letter of Intent to Continue to Provide Instruction to the superintendent's office in the school district where the parent/legal guardian resides. Do NOT mail to the Minnesota Department of Education.

Complete the information using this form or a written or electronic format of your choice. Information in the Letter of Intent must be submitted by October 1 of each year after a Full Report has been filed in the same district.

• If you have moved, you must file a new Full Report.
• Fill out an Immunization Form if your child has new immunizations to report since last school year.

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:

• By October 1 of the first school year the student receives instruction
• 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; and 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.

 

Reimbursement Information

Parents of students in regular private schools often pay for most of their students’ tuition, and so do homeschooling families. A small amount of financial assistance is available through the Aids to Nonpublic Students program. Original receipts must be received by May 31, 2024 and dated during the fiscal year (July 1, 20232 - June 30, 2024).

You must meet the following deadlines if you want aid (reimbursement):

By September 15: Request Aids to Nonpublic Students Form from your resident school district.

By October 1: Return Aids to Nonpublic Students Form to your resident school district.

By October 15: Your resident school district submits information to MDE, allowing you to access up to:

$95.69 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 the MN Department of Education: Education Materials Eligible for Acquisition. Examples of non-reimbursed expenses include: consumable school supplies (pens, paper, crayons, etc.), uniforms and shoes, and materials of nonsecular content.

$85.30 per eligible student for Pupil Health Services.

$317.11 for Secondary Pupil Guidance and Counseling Services.

By May 31: You must submit all receipts for eligible expenses to the district. Reimbursement will not be made if receipts are received after this date, or if October 1st deadline was missed.

By June 30: District will issue reimbursement checks by mail to eligible families.

Students must be age 5 by September 1 to be eligible for any aid.

I am writing to explain your rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) which requires public school districts to identify children in nonpublic schools who have disabilities within its school district’s boundaries.

Should you perceive that your child has a disability and is not making satisfactory academic, social behavioral and/or communicative progress and has a substantial limitation in the areas of learning and communicating, you may seek a screening and evaluation through the public school whose boundaries contain the private school your child attends. The evaluation will be designed to determine whether or not your child has a disability as defined by special education eligibility criteria in Minnesota Rules (MR) 3525. For children with disabilities who are found eligible to receive special education services, parents will be invited to participate on a planning team that will review the information and propose services. The process is as follows:

1. You will be invited to attend the planning team meeting at the public school. Representatives from the nonpublic school will be invited to attend also. The team will review the information presented by your child’s teacher, evaluator and/or other staff. You will also have an opportunity to share information as you deem appropriate. The enclosed “Referral Review Form” should be completed and shared with the school district. This form allows you to provide a complete picture of your child’s strengths and areas of concern and will assist the planning team in developing a comprehensive evaluation plan.
2. You will receive a written notice of the proposed evaluation for your approval. This notice requires written permission by the parent prior to the public school conducting the evaluation.
3. Once written parental permission is received, then the public school special education staff will conduct your child’s evaluation. You will have an opportunity to provide further information about your child’s needs as a part of the evaluation.
4. The planning team will complete an Evaluation Summary Report and they will make a decision regarding your child’s eligibility for special education. Children eligible for special education services under (MR) 3525 will have an Individual Services Plan developed by a planning team of public school special education staff, nonpublic school staff and you.

Please see attached brochure for further information and the name and contact information for the Special Education Coordinator serving the public school district in which your private school is located. Please direct your questions and communications between the private school and the public school to the person named in the brochure.

Sincerely,

Tanya Tacker, Director
Rum River Special Education Cooperative