The Department is pleased to announce the opening of the new Online NEO Homeschool Portal for school year 2019-2020, and the more efficient Notice of Intent to Homeschool form. The new portal brings some changes to the Homeschool Notice process, including an enhanced role for superintendents and/or SAU homeschool administrative designees who will now share responsibility for entering information into the new portal.
Summary of changes:
- Parents submitting a Notice for 2019-2020 no longer need to submit the information in two places or use certified mail to ensure the delivery of the form. They may use one of the three methods described below.
- The portal will be the point of entry for parents. Superintendents or SAU and DOE homeschool administrative designees who enter information on behalf of resident parents who choose option 2 or 3 below will also utilize the portal for data entry.
- The new Notice of Intent to Homeschool combines and replaces the previous Notice of Intent and Subsequent Year forms.
The new portal will allow parents to submit the Notice of Intent and Subsequent Year Letter and assessments once in one of three ways:
- Enter information directly on the new NEO online homeschool portal, and upload prior year required assessment information;
- Complete the form by hand and take it, with prior year required assessments, to the resident Superintendent’s Office for upload and entry into the system; OR
- Complete the new paper form and mail it with prior year required assessments to the Department of Education or to the Superintendent’s Office, where it will be entered into the new system.
Submission using one of the below methods will result in the automatic generation of an acknowledgement to the parent/guardian via email; please ensure that a valid and correct email address has been provided.
Superintendents and/or designees will utilize the new online homeschool portal in NEO in 2019-2020 to:
- Enter paper forms received from parents. The Department will also be entering paper forms, so a duplicate check must be performed prior to entry.
- Assist resident parents in completing the online homeschool process.
- View a list of all the resident homeschool students in the Superintendent’s SAU.
- Comply with homeschool roster requirements in Maine DOE Rule Chapter 125, sec.12.02 Roster of Resident, Tuition, and Transfer Students
- A) The superintendent of each school administrative unit shall maintain a roster of all resident and tuition students attending schools operated by the unit.
- B) The superintendent of each school administrative unit shall maintain a roster of all students eligible to attend school within the unit who are receiving equivalent instruction in an approved or non-approved private school, or in an approved equivalent instruction program.
Parents may read Maine’s statute related to homeschooling, including information about required assessments using this link: Title 20-A, Section 5001-A, Sub-section 3(A)(4).
Please note that online Homeschool Portal functionality works for the 2019-2020 school year forward; it may not be used for 2018-2019 school year homeschool students.
Please direct any questions or concerns to our Pamela Ford-Taylor at pamela.ford-taylor@maine.gov or 207-624-6617.