A New York homeschooling family recently ran into a barrier that more families should know about: a school official tried to block their student from sitting for the Regents exam — the standardized test that's a gateway to a New York diploma and to many college applications.
The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) stepped in on the family's behalf, signaling the denial may have been improper. New York has some of the most detailed homeschool regulations in the country, set out in Section 100.10 of the Commissioner's Regulations, and under those rules homeschooled students are generally permitted to take Regents exams.
Why does one student's case matter to everyone? Because of the chilling effect. When a local official says no, families who don't know the rules may simply give up — not realizing they likely had the right all along. Cases like this are a reminder that those rights sometimes have to be asserted.
The specific district and official haven't been fully identified in the coverage so far, and HSLDA's involvement suggests the situation is still developing.
What this means for you: if your New York student plans to take the Regents — and exams are typically administered in June — confirm access now rather than at the last minute. Put your requests in writing, keep a record of every response, and know that a denial based on homeschool status may be challengeable.