You open an envelope from your school district and your stomach drops. They want your portfolio. Or copies of your children's birth certificates. Or a meeting with an administrator to "review your program."
Before anything else: take a breath. In the overwhelming majority of cases, this is not an attack on your family and it is not a legal threat. It is an outdated form letter, or a well-meaning secretary following a checklist that was written before the law changed.
But you should still know exactly what you have to provide — and what you do not.
What changed in 2014
Act 196 of 2014 substantially revised Pennsylvania's home education law and reduced what districts may require. Before 2014, families submitted the full portfolio to the superintendent. After 2014, they do not.
Many district letters, web pages, and internal checklists were simply never updated. When you receive a request that feels excessive, the most likely explanation is a stale template — not bad faith.
What your district can require
- The notarized affidavit (or, since Act 55 of 2024, an unsworn declaration in lieu of notarization), filed by August 1 or within five days of starting mid-year.
- Educational objectives by subject area, attached to the affidavit.
- Evidence of immunization or a valid medical/religious exemption.
- Evidence of health and medical services as required for the child's grade level (physicals, dental exams at the required grades).
- The evaluator's written certification stating an appropriate education is occurring, submitted by June 30.
That is the list. It is short on purpose.
What your district cannot require
- Your portfolio. The portfolio goes to your evaluator, not the superintendent. The district may only request it if the superintendent has a legitimate, documented reason to believe an appropriate education is not occurring — and that triggers a specific statutory process with written notice and a right to a hearing.
- Standardized test scores. Testing in grades 3, 5, and 8 is required, but the results go into your portfolio for the evaluator. They are not submitted to the district.
- Birth certificates or Social Security numbers. Not required by the home education statute.
- An in-person meeting or home visit. There is no home-visit or interview requirement in Act 169. You may decline politely.
- Curriculum approval. You choose your curriculum. Districts do not approve, review, or pre-approve it.
- Attendance sheets, lesson plans, or quarterly reports submitted on the district's schedule.
- Their own proprietary form as the only acceptable affidavit. Districts often provide a form as a convenience; any affidavit containing the statutory language is valid.
- A specific evaluator from a district-approved list. You select any evaluator who meets the statutory qualifications.
How to respond — calmly and professionally
Tone matters more than you might think. You will likely be dealing with this same office for years, and the family who is firm and gracious gets far better outcomes than the family who arrives ready for a fight.
1. Assume good faith. Start from "this is probably an old form" rather than "they are coming after us." You will be right almost every time.
2. Do not respond same-day while adrenaline is high. A day of distance produces a much better letter.
3. Move the conversation to writing. If someone calls, thank them and ask them to send the request in writing so you can respond properly. Written exchanges create a clear record and tend to make everyone more careful and more polite.
4. Comply cheerfully with what is legitimate. If they are missing your immunization records, send them right away. Being visibly cooperative on the real requirements makes your position on the rest far stronger.
5. Cite the statute, briefly. One sentence referencing 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1 is enough. You are not writing a legal brief; you are giving a courteous, informed answer.
A simple template that works
Dear [Superintendent / Home Education Coordinator],
Thank you for your letter of [date]. I want to make sure our family remains fully compliant, so I am glad to confirm what has been provided.
Our notarized affidavit and educational objectives were filed on [date], along with immunization documentation. Our evaluator's written certification will be submitted by June 30 as required.
Regarding the request for [portfolio / test scores / meeting]: under 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1 as amended, these items are provided to our evaluator as part of the annual evaluation rather than to the district. I am of course happy to provide anything the statute requires.
Please let me know if anything from the required list is missing from our file, and I will send it promptly.
Warm regards,
[Your name] · Supervisor, [Family] Home Education Program
Short, warm, factual, and it leaves the door wide open. In our experience, letters like this end the matter more often than not.
Practical steps that protect you before anything happens
- Send everything certified mail, return receipt requested. A green card is a settled argument.
- Keep dated PDF copies of every document you submit, plus the receipts.
- Log every phone call — date, who you spoke with, what was said.
- Keep your portfolio genuinely complete. The strongest position is knowing that if it ever were reviewed, it would look excellent.
- Know the escalation path. If a superintendent formally determines an appropriate education is not occurring, you receive written notice, an opportunity to respond, and a right to a hearing before an impartial hearing examiner. There is a process; nothing happens overnight.
When to bring in help
Most requests never get past a polite letter. But if you receive formal notice of an evaluation of your program, a truancy citation, or a referral to children and youth services, that is the point to get real support — HSLDA if you are a member, PA Homeschoolers for community-tested guidance, or a Pennsylvania education attorney.
Confidence comes from being organized
The families who handle these letters best are not the ones who have memorized the statute. They are the ones who can pull up their filed affidavit, their submission receipt, and their year-to-date logs in about thirty seconds. When you can see your own records, an unexpected letter stops feeling like a threat and starts feeling like paperwork.
That is a large part of why we built Pennsole — with a Know Your Rights section covering exactly what districts may and may not require, ready-to-send response letter templates, and every filing, log, and portfolio item stored and dated in one place. If a letter ever does land in your mailbox, you will already have your answer.
General guidance, not legal advice. For a formal dispute with your district, consult a Pennsylvania education attorney or a homeschool legal organization.