Homeschooling Legal Questions
If you have legal questions or needs regarding homeschooling, you are not alone. Homeschool Legal Defense Association is one of the most powerful lobbyists in the country, and they have lawyers available to help homeschooling families in every state.
Homeschool Legal Defense Association
Known as HSLDA, the Homeschool Legal Defense Association describes themselves as “a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms.”
HSLDA is a powerful, national, Christian, legal organization and lobbying group that advocates for homeschooling. They have more than 80,000 member homeschool families.
HSLDA provides excellent educational resources about homeschooling in addition to giving homeschooling families answers to legal questions about homeschooling.
Should a member ever need it, they also supply lawyers free of charge to give legal advice. And, if a member ever does face an issue with schooling or governmental authorities regarding homeschool, they will provide lawyers free of charge to defend the homeschooling family. They have lawyers in every state, so they match up lawyers practicing in the state with the homeschooling family’s state of residence.
They are also extremely active in lobbying for homeschooling freedoms and the rights of homeschooling families, so many homeschooling families opt to join the organization to help support their work.
They are also extremely active in lobbying for homeschooling freedoms and the rights of homeschooling families, so many homeschooling families opt to join the organization to help support their work.
In addition, HSLDA has started an online homeschooling academy. The academy is run by Patrick Henry College. It offers live online classes in all of the major subjects, in addition to several electives. It has a focus on political education and entrepreneurship, so students can take things like Moot Court. We have first-hand knowledge of the academy and can highly recommend it. In fact, of all the academies that we have worked with, HSLDA ranks #1 with us for their educational excellence. Classes are offered “by the class” as opposed to a full grade academy enrollment. Therefore, parents can select just one or two classes, or they can do more. Those who are members of HSLDA receive a discount on academy classes. Students who take academy classes are also often invited to online lectures from a variety of guest speakers on a wide range of subjects. Students do need to be at least 13 years of age to take HSLDA classes, and parents need to be aware that HSLDA Academy is strict regarding work being completed.
One of the biggest assets of a HSLDA membership is the vast resource of information about homeschool that they provide. Their website is loaded with information, and members receive newsletters and the opportunity to join in with other homeschooling families on a discussion board. Our experience with them has been extremely positive. We contacted them with legal questions and received a reply from one of their lawyers within a day.
Homeschooling families can join HSLDA for $11 a month.
HSLDA’s website can be found at: https://hslda.org/.
Please be aware that we have not been, and will not be, compensated by HSLDA in any way for this review. Our only affiliation with them is as member homeschooling families.
HSLDA's history
Want to know how Homeschool Legal Defense Association has changed the face of homeschooling through the years? Visit their website to learn more.
HSLDA Academy
HSLDA has started a homeschooling academy. It is affiliated with Patrick Henry Collage. We have a full review of the academy in our academy curriculum reviews section.
If you are interested in homeschooling through an online academy, we highly recommend HSLDA Academy. We have had quite a lot of experience with this homeschool curriculum, and it ranks in our top two academies.
With HSLDA Academy, students attend live classes online a couple times per week and complete other assignments online and with printed handouts. Students will need to order books for each class from the class booklist.
Students have a live teacher that is available to students one-on-one throughout the course. Additionally, students work with other students in break-out groups in their online classes.
HSLDA Academy is advanced in their academics, and they assign a good amount of work. However, they do have an “Audit” option for students that are not wanting to do advanced studies or who are using them only as a supplimentary resource.