Regulation 0501.90-AR-06 Home School Dual Enrollment

Building Administrators and the Superintendent or designee will administer the attendance boundaries policies and procedures. The West Ada School District will allow for the enrollment of Home School students as provided for in section 33-203, Idaho Code.

A student who resides within the boundaries of the District but is not enrolled in another Idaho public school district, charter school, or private school may dually enroll at their designated boundary school as a home school dual enrollment student.

Accordingly, when considering an application for a Home School Dual Enrolled Student, it is important for building administration to understand the student’s other educational activities.

Home School Dual Enrollment Guidelines

  1. All home school dual enrolled students shall be subject to all the same eligibility standards as regular full-time students at their boundary school.
  2. For all home school dual enrolled students participating in nonacademic public-school activities, including Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA), for which public school students must demonstrate academic proficiency or eligibility, the home school dual enrolled student shall demonstrate composite grade-level academic proficiency on any State Board of Education recognized achievement test, portfolio, or other mechanism as provided for in State Board of education rules. The home school student is only eligible to participate in IHSAA activities at their boundary school.
    1. Additionally, a student shall be eligible if he/she achieves a minimum composite score, core, or survey test score within the average or higher than average range as established by the test service utilized on any nationally normed test. Demonstrated proficiency shall be used to determine eligibility for the current and following school years.
  3. The District shall provide nonpublic students who wish to participate in home school dual enrolled activities with the opportunity to take state tests or other standardized tests given to all regularly enrolled public school students.
  4. Home school dual enrolled students may not enroll solely for special education services. The home school statute does not establish an entitlement to FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) for a home school student with a disability. This means that there is no individual right for a home school dual enrolled student to receive some or all special education services that the student would receive if enrolled in public school. A home school dual enrolled student who is enrolled for partial participation at the District’s schools may receive accommodations in the courses for which they are enrolled. Such will be addressed on a case-by-case basis on a plan developed by the District.
    1. Reference the SDE Q&A on Home Programs and IDEA Q & A for further guidance: Home Programs and IDEA Q&A (idaho.gov)
  5. Home School Dual Enrollment is defined as a (K-12) student who is experiencing most of their education through the home environment under the direction of parents/guardians and enrolls at their boundary school in a course or courses if seats are available. Home school students are not enrolled in another educational; public, private, or parochial entity. Home School dual enrollment schedules are defined as follows: 1. Elementary School – Enrollment consists of attending either the morning or afternoon session five days a week, excluding participation in the specials schedule. 2. Middle School – Enrollment is based on specific class periods within the eight-period daily schedule, with attendance required five days a week. 3. High School – Enrollment is based on specific class periods within the block schedule.

Procedures to Request Home School Enrollment

  1. A parent/legal guardian must complete the Home School Application seeking to attend a school in the District each semester. The Home School Application may be found on the District’s Enrollment website page. (Enrollment | West Ada School District select the "Other Related Forms option")
  2. The building administrator will review the availability of seats via the course or program the student has requested to enroll in and either approve or deny the Home school Student enrollment application.
  3. A student requesting Home School Student status even if only participating for interscholastic or nonacademic activity will register through the District's approved athletic and activities program, currently "Aktivate."
  4. High School Only :
    1. The school will provide the PowerSchool Intent to Home School letter for parents to sign to be applied to the building graduation-rate reporting. Such documentation is necessary for the State and District to track graduation statistics required of all Idaho Public School Districts. This form needs to be completed one time at the high school where the student is enrolled.

Considerations of District in Processing Home School Enrollment Requests

  1. Home school requests are not applicable to approved In-District and Out-of-District transfers.
  2. Home school requests are not applicable to Schools of Choice.
  3. Home school requests are subject to available capacity at the requested school.
  4. If enrollment in a specific class or program reaches the maximum for the program, priority for enrollment shall be given to a student who is enrolled full-time in the West Ada School District.
  5. Regular full-time enrolled students will be given priority for enrollment at the start of each semester.
  6. If a class or program is full and includes a home-schooled student when a regular full-time student transfers into the school during the semester, the District’s normal enrollment procedures shall remain the same and the home-school student may not be unenrolled in the middle of the semester to provide space for the full-time student during the current semester.
    1. A home-schooled student may be revoked at the end of semester if the class or program does not have space available as referenced to AR(2a) for student to teacher ratios and/or program capacity limitations.

If a student has been granted home school student status, the student must be coded in the District's student management system designating that the student is home-schooled.