Homeschool Law in the United States of America: Delaware

"Subject to other provisions of this title, all the public schools of this State shall be free to all children who are residents of the State and who are of the ages required or authorized for attendance in a public school."

"(a) Except as otherwise provided, the following provisions are applicable to school attendance in this State:

(1) Every person in this State who has legal custody, guardianship of the person, or legal control of a child between 5 and 16 years of age, including any person acting as a caregiver pursuant to the provisions of § 202(f) of this title, shall enroll the child in a public school in the school district of the person's residence."

"Section 2702 of this title shall not apply to any student enrolled in a private school who is receiving regular and thorough instruction in the subjects prescribed for the public schools of the State in a manner suitable to children of the same age and stage of advancement, provided that such private school is subject to and in compliance with § 2704 of this title. For the purposes of this section, any student who is home-schooled in any manner provided for in § 2703A of this title shall also be exempt from the provisions of § 2702 of this title. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Justice of the Peace Court may retain jurisdiction over any case of truancy filed pursuant to § 2729 (failure to send) of this title or § 2730 (failure to attend) of this title prior to a student withdrawing from the public school bringing the charge and enrolling in a private or nonpublic school of this State."

"For purposes of this chapter, a "homeschool" shall be considered a non-public school and there shall be three types of homeschools defined as follows:"

"(a) All persons conducting nonpublic schools shall report end of the year attendance information to the Department of Education annually, on or before the July 31, on such forms as shall be prescribed by the Department of Education.

(b) Such persons shall also submit annually, on or before the October 31, a statement of pupil enrollment as of the last school day in September, on such forms as prescribed by the Department of Education."

"(a) Other provisions of this title notwithstanding, a child may be exempted from § 2702 of this title upon request of the parent, guardian or other person legally having control of that child when the request is supported by written documentation of a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist or neurologist, as the case may require. The request and documentation shall be addressed to the superintendent of schools of the district in which the child resides and, in the case of a child with a disability or disabilities, the child's Individual Education Program (IEP) team, for the development of an educational program and determination of whether a change of placement is necessary to ensure that the child receives a free and appropriate public education.

(b) Any disputed decision under this section shall be presented first to the board of education of the school district of which the child is a resident and may thereafter be appealed to the State Board of Education."

"The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations."