The RCW’s (The Revised Code of Washington) are all of the permanent laws now in force in Washington State . The RCW’s listed on this site refer to laws pertaining to Home Based Instruction. If you want more information, you can click on the RCW’s mentioned on this site and you will be linked to the Washington State Legislature website which has the text of the law.

GETTING STARTED & DECLARATION OF INTENT
Parent/guardian fills in "Declaration of Intent" form and returns to Challenger office.  This form states that parents are taking responsibility for their child’s education.  It is necessary to file a new Declaration each school year.

The "Declaration of Intent" to provide Home-Based Instruction must be completed and returned to Tom Edwards, CSS Assistant Principal and Bethel School District Home School Liaison at Challenger Secondary Schools. These must be returned by September 15th or within two weeks of the beginning of any public school quarter, trimester or semester.

If your child has previously attended a Bethel public school, we ask that you withdraw your student upon filing your "Declaration of Intent". (Declaration of Intent Form)

HOME-BASED INSTRUCTION
RCW 28A.225 defines instruction as home-based if it consists of planned and supervised instructional and related educational activities including curriculum and instruction in the basic skills of occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the development of an appreciation of art and music. Total annual program hours are as follows:

* Kindergarten At least a total of 450 hours
* Grades 1 through 12 An annual average total of 1,000 hours

RCW 28A.200 recognizes that all decisions relating to philosophy or doctrine; selection of books, teaching materials and curriculum; and methods, timing, and place in the provision or evaluation of home-based instruction shall be the responsibility of the parent except for matters specifically referred to in RCW 28A. 225 cited above.

PARENT QUALIFICATIONS
A parent must either a). Be supervised by a certificated teacher who has contact with the child for one hour per week average per month, b). Have earned the equivalent of 45 college-level quarter credit hours, c). Have taken a course in home-based instruction at a post-secondary institution or vocational technical institute, or d). Been deemed sufficiently qualified by the local superintendent.

INFORMATION AND REGULATIONS
We recommend you contact the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Office in Olympia for the free publication “ Washington State ’s Laws Regulating Home-Based Instruction”, also known as the “pink book”. This is available through the Office of Learning and Teaching Support at (360) 664-3574. Information is also available on the OSPI website.

REENTERING THE BETHEL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Credit may be granted by a review of actual student course work, or by review of transcripts from a private school, agency, or home schooling organization. Please note, the Bethel School District has no obligation to accept credits earned outside the school district.

ANNUAL TESTING
An approved standardized test administered yearly by a qualified individual, or an annual academic progress assessment of the student’s academic progress written by a certificated person currently working in the field of education must be administered yearly. A parent must ensure that test scores or annual academic progress assessments and immunization records, together with any other records that are kept relating to the instructional and educational activities provided, are maintained. The Washington Homeschool Organization (W.H.O.) makes an effort to keep a current list of persons offering to test or assess homeschoolers. See the Home School Resources section for information about W.H.O. Bethel School District Testing - If your student is in a grade level affected by the Bethel School District assessment program, he/she may come to the school at the times scheduled for testing. Parents should contact the principal of their student’s resident school if the student will be participating in the testing program.