Homeschool benefits: South Western School District
South Western School District in Hanover says homeschool parents have a right to borrow copies of the district's planned courses and instructional materials such as textbooks. Homeschooled district residents can also join district extracurricular activities if they meet the same eligibility rules as enrolled students.
Who qualifies
Has a filed affidavit
You start a home education program by filing a notarized affidavit with the district superintendent. The district provides elementary and secondary affidavit forms, or you can use your own with the required parts.
Lives in the district
Extracurricular participation is for homeschooled students who are South Western School District residents.
Meets activity eligibility rules
For extracurriculars, your child meets the activity's eligibility requirements or their equivalent and follows the same rules as other participants.
What you can get
The terms come from South Western School District's Home Education Program page.
- Copies of the district's planned courses
- Borrow
- Textbooks and other instructional materials
- Borrow
- District extracurricular activities
- Same eligibility as enrolled students
- Affidavit forms for elementary and secondary
- Free download
The page does not explain how to request materials or when to return them, so ask the district office which titles are available and the return date before you plan your year around them.
From applying to keeping it
- Any time to start
File the affidavit
Submit the notarized affidavit with immunization and health records, or a doctor's or religious-objection letter, and your outline of education objectives.
- After filing
Ask to borrow materials
Request copies of the planned courses and textbooks you want for your child's grade from the district.
- Before an activity
Confirm eligibility
Check that your child meets the activity's eligibility rules or their equivalent before tryouts or sign-ups.
- By June 30
Submit the evaluation
Send the superintendent a written evaluation by a Pennsylvania-certified evaluator, based on a portfolio review and an interview with your child.
- By August 1
Renew the affidavit
File each later year's affidavit by August 1 to continue the program.
What it includes
Included
- Copies of the district's planned courses
- Textbooks and instructional materials
- District extracurricular activities
Not included
- District approval of your curriculum: none is required
- Families who live outside the district, for extracurriculars
Who to contact
The district office at 225 Bowman Road in Hanover takes home education affidavits for the superintendent and can direct material requests.
717-632-2500 Home education program page
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Pennsylvania
You must file a notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration with the superintendent before starting and by August 1 in subsequent years. Include educational objectives and required health and immunization documentation or exemptions. Certify that the supervisor, adults living in the home, and persons with legal custody have no conviction for the listed statutory offenses in the preceding five years.
Pennsylvania sets these rules:
- Subjects: Teach in English the subjects required for elementary or secondary home education, including English, math, science, geography, history/civics, health, PE, art, music, and ongoing fire-safety instruction. Provide 180 days or 900 elementary/990 secondary hours annually.
- Testing: Include reading and math test results in the portfolio in grades 3, 5, and 8. Obtain an annual evaluation and submit the evaluator’s certification to the superintendent by June 30. The supervisor, parent or guardian may not administer an alternative approved standardized test.
- Records: Keep a portfolio with a reading-materials log, work samples, required test results, and the annual evaluation. Document the required instructional days or hours.
- Teachers: The supervisor must be the parent, guardian, or legal custodian with a high-school diploma or equivalent. The supervisor, adults living in the home, and persons with legal custody must meet the statutory five-year criminal-conviction condition.
Read the Pennsylvania homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Pennsylvania
Questions parents ask
- Does South Western School District have to approve our curriculum before lending materials?
- No. The district's page says its approval is not required, and the home education program does not have to follow the district's curriculum.
- When do materials borrowed from South Western go back?
- The district does not say.
- When can we start homeschooling?
- Any time during the school year, once you file your first affidavit. Each later affidavit is due August 1.
- What extra step applies to a child with special education needs?
- The program must address the child's specific needs and be approved by a teacher with a Pennsylvania special education certificate or a licensed clinical or certified school psychologist. This does not apply to students identified only as gifted.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Put eligible education funds toward a curriculum that teaches the courses and grades the work. Check the program’s purchasing rules before paying.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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