The Mississippi Department of Education said parents must remember about the law governing school attendance and about the deadline for notifying school districts of home school decisions.
The MDE Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement said parents, legal guardians, or custodians in control or charge of a child 6-17 years old must enroll the child in an education program (public, private, or home school).
A compulsory-school-age child is a child who has reached the age of 6 on or before Sept. 1 of the calendar year and who has not reached the age of 17 on or before Sept. 1 of the calendar year. The law also includes any child who will be age 5 on or before Sept. 1 and has enrolled in a full-day public school kindergarten program.
Parents interested in providing educational services to their children at home are required to complete a certificate of enrollment, which includes a simple description of the educational services. The certificate of enrollment must be submitted to the school attendance officer by Sept. 15 of each year the child home schools.
This is in accordance with the compulsory school attendance law. Parents should keep a copy of the enrollment form for their records.
For additional information, please contact the local school district or the school attendance officer in your county. Families may also visit https://mdek12.org/OCSA.