Due to a recent policy change by the California Department of Education (CDE), many private homeschoolers are wondering if they must file their annual private school affidavit now, instead of during the traditional October 1-15 filing window.
While the CDE has made the affidavit available online beginning August 1, the bottom line is that California’s law has not changed. California Education Code § 33190 still calls for the affidavit to be filed “between the first and 15th day of October each year.”
There is nothing sinister afoot. This change of timeframe was primarily made to accommodate new private schools that want to get their information filed sooner. It may also be helpful to parents in the process of withdrawing/transferring their children from public school.
If you have filed the PSA in previous years, we encourage you to file in October as you have done in the past. If you are brand new to private home education, you are welcome to file your affidavit now, but you are not required to do so until October 1.
Again, California law has not changed. The legal filing period for all private schools is still October 1-15. The only change is when the form became available on the CDE website.
If you are an HSLDA member and are having issues with your school district regarding the PSA or withdrawing your child from public school, please reach out to them for assistance at http://www.HSLDA.org .