Sample Letters to Schools: Chicago

If you have received letter/calls from your local CPS school after withdrawing your child, try sending the letter below. Please be aware that the CPS website does have the following wording:

State Documents

Please be aware that the State of Illinois Board of Education requests that parents and guardians of home-schooled children complete the Home Schooling Registration form and email it to hsregist@isbe.net.

CPS Documents

It is CPS' policy to request parents or guardians who choose to homeschool their children to provide proof that they have registered their children with the Illinois State Board of Education by providing a copy of the Home Schooling Registration form for each child.

In addition, if parents choose to educate their child at home, CPS requests that they complete the Chicago Public Schools Statement of Assurance and provide a letter that describes the manner in which they will be instructing their child at home. This documentation should be filed with CPS annually for each child.

Please note that there are no requirements in the above section. These are requests. The ISBE Home Schooling registration form has the following words in large letters:

“Registration is voluntary and is not a requirement to home school students.”

Voluntary does not mean mandatory. You cannot be required to submit a voluntary form. When you look carefully at the CPS website, you will see that the Chicago Public School Statement of Assurance is not required either. It is requested. You may politely decline their requests.

Here is a sample letter doing that:

Dear Principal/Superintendent/Administrator,

Thank you so much for your concern about my child’s education. I withdrew my child (Name here) on (date here). A copy of that letter of withdrawal is attached to this email for your convenience. I am respectfully declining your request to complete the ISBE voluntary registration form, as is my right. I am also declining to submit CPS’s requested Statement of Assurance.

Please be assured that I am teaching my child the branches of knowledge in the English language. This includes language arts, science, fine arts, PE/Health, social studies, and mathematics.

For your convenience, I am including the website for the ISBE URL that specifies requirements for homeschooling in Illinois.

https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Homeschool.aspx

Please note that I have met the requirement of informing you of my child’s withdrawal.

Once again, thank you for your concern for children. I hope this letter has clarified any misunderstanding that we may have previously shared.

Sincerely,

Parent