According to the website of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, in the case Mazanec v. North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation, the federal district court recognized homeschooling as a constitutional right of parents. In State v. Peterman, the Indiana Appellate Court considered a homeschool to be a private school and determined that under Indiana compulsory attendance law, homeschooling was permissible.
Compulsory attendance age is the age range during which children must engage in education. Indiana law specifies three possibilities for when a child must begin education: in the fall of the school year during which the child turns 7; if earlier than age 7, when the child begins school, or on the child's 7th birthday if the parent "certifies they intend to enroll child in nonaccredited private school," according to HSLDA.org. The homeschool student must continue education until age 18 or until he graduates.
Indiana homeschooling law also specifies how many days of the calendar year a child is required to participate in education. This usually totals 180 days, but the law says the number of days should be the same as those that public schools are in session "in the school corporation in which the child is enrolled in Indiana," according to HSLDA.org.
People who homeschool in Indiana have a great deal of freedom about subjects for study. They are not required by law to use any particular curriculum or content. This law applies to a "school that is nonpublic, non-accredited, and not otherwise approved by the Indiana Board of Education," according to HSLDA.org, and the state considers a homeschool to be this type of school. Even though there are no required subjects, Indiana homeschooling law does state that a child should receive instruction that is comparable to that of public schools.
There are no minimum qualifications that homeschool teachers, who usually are parents, need to homeschool in Indiana. The laws, unlike the laws in many other states, also do not require homeschool students to take standardized tests. According to the law, however, parents must keep attendance records in case they ever need to verify with the superintendent a child's enrollment.
Many homeschooling parents view the Homeschool Legal Defense Association as the authoritative resource for legal information. It is best to consult that organization for detailed and current Indiana homeschooling legal information. This large and active association provides comprehensive guidance about laws, memberships that cover various homeschool-related legal expenses and numerous other benefits for homeschoolers.