Alternatives to ISBE Form 87-02 for Illinois Homeschooling

The most important thing to know about ISBE Form 87-02: it says "voluntary" at the top of the form. Illinois parents are not legally required to complete it, submit it to their school, or register with the Regional Office of Education. The state "strongly recommends" it — using language about truancy risk that pressures anxious parents into voluntarily submitting their family's information through a state data-collection process. You don't have to do this.

The legal alternative to ISBE Form 87-02 is a private withdrawal letter sent directly to your child's school, citing Section 26-1 of the Illinois School Code. That letter — delivered via Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested — is the practical documentation most Illinois families use to document the transfer and begin homeschooling. The Illinois Legal Withdrawal Blueprint provides all five letter templates, the pushback scripts for when the school demands the 87-02 anyway, and the complete legal framework.

What ISBE Form 87-02 Actually Is

ISBE Form 87-02 is the Illinois State Board of Education's Home Schooling Registration Form. Its official name on ISBE's website is the "Home Schooling Registration Form" — which implies it is a required component of starting a homeschool in Illinois. It is not.

The form itself, in small print near the top, states: "Registration with the Illinois State Board of Education and/or your Regional Office of Education is voluntary."

What the form collects: student name, date of birth, grade level, address, parent/guardian names, and confirmation that you intend to provide instruction in the six required subject areas. Submitting the form sends your child's information through the Illinois State Board of Education and Regional Office of Education registration process.

The ISBE website's guidance says that submitting this form "makes it more likely that the school reports your student to county officials as NOT truant after a prolonged absence." This framing — implying that not registering makes truancy investigation more likely — is the primary mechanism by which parents are steered toward voluntary registration. It is functionally coercive language designed to maximize form submissions.

Why This Matters Now More Than It Did Before

Illinois House Bill 2827, introduced in 2025, attempted to make registration mandatory — specifically requiring an annual "homeschool declaration form" containing personal information about both the student and the parent, plus the right for Regional Offices of Education and CPS to request educational portfolios without cause.

HB 2827 died in committee without a vote, largely due to organized backlash from homeschool families, parental rights groups, and the Catholic Conference of Illinois. But the legislative attempt made visible what homeschool advocates had known for years: the infrastructure for mandatory statewide registration already exists in the voluntary form, and it is one legislative session away from becoming mandatory.

Families who voluntarily submit ISBE Form 87-02 create a voluntary state registration record. Families who choose a private withdrawal letter instead are not required to submit that form. That distinction is not abstract.

The Legal Alternative: A Private Withdrawal Letter Under Section 26-1

Illinois treats homeschools as private schools. This is established in Section 26-1 of the Illinois School Code (which covers compulsory attendance) and confirmed by the Illinois Supreme Court in People v. Levisen (1950). Private school students are exempt from compulsory public school attendance requirements. Homeschooling parents are not required to notify the state, file with ISBE, or register with the ROE — they are exercising their right to educate their children privately.

The one administrative action that is practically necessary — though not legally mandated — is a withdrawal letter to the school. The reason isn't legal compliance with a state mandate. It's practical: if you simply stop sending your child without a formal withdrawal on file, the school continues marking attendance and accumulating unexcused absences. Those unexcused absences trigger automated truancy protocols.

The withdrawal letter helps address this. It gives the school documented notice that your child has transferred to a private school, but it does not itself guarantee how the school records attendance. And it's sent directly to the school, not to ISBE or the ROE.

What to Include in the Withdrawal Letter Instead of the 87-02

A proper private withdrawal letter includes:

• Child's name, date of birth, current grade, and teacher
• A statement that the child is transferring to private home-based instruction
• A citation of Section 26-1 of the Illinois School Code as the legal authority
• The effective date of withdrawal
• A request for formal unenrollment from the school's enrollment records

What to deliberately omit:

• Curriculum information
• Subject area plans
• Any statement that opens the door to further review
• Any reference to ISBE registration or the 87-02 form

This letter, sent via Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested, provides documented delivery of the same practical notice function as ISBE Form 87-02 without voluntarily submitting state registration information.

When the School Demands the 87-02 Anyway

This will happen. School clerks and assistant principals are trained to hand parents the ISBE Form 87-02 packet as the first step in the withdrawal conversation. Some will insist it is required. Some will refuse to process the withdrawal without it. Some will refer you to the Regional Office of Education.

None of this changes your legal position. Section 26-1 does not require the 87-02. The form's own header says it is voluntary. Your response is:

"ISBE Form 87-02 is explicitly voluntary under Illinois law. I have provided a withdrawal letter citing Section 26-1 of the Illinois School Code via Certified Mail [provide tracking number]. That letter documents written notice of transfer to private home instruction. Please confirm the date on which my child's enrollment will be formally terminated."

If the school continues to demand the form, send a written follow-up. Do not fill out the form under pressure. The Illinois Legal Withdrawal Blueprint provides word-for-word email and letter responses for every variation of this pushback scenario.

What the Regional Office of Education Can and Cannot Do

Some Illinois school districts, upon receiving a withdrawal letter, will refer the parent to the Regional Office of Education (ROE) — implying that the ROE must approve or acknowledge the withdrawal before it can be processed. This is false.

The ROE does not approve or deny a parent's decision to homeschool. It administers ISBE Form 87-02 registrations for parents who choose to submit them voluntarily, while the regional superintendent may investigate reported noncompliance and request evidence of instruction. A school clerk sending you to the ROE is not identifying a state registration prerequisite.

The correct response: politely decline the ROE referral, re-cite your withdrawal letter's Certified Mail delivery date and tracking number, and request written confirmation of withdrawal processing within a reasonable timeframe.

Privacy Considerations

The practical privacy implications of ISBE Form 87-02 have become more significant in the post-HB 2827 environment. Parents who have submitted the form have:

• Created a voluntary state registration record linking their name, address, and child's information
• Given ISBE and the ROE documented information that a homeschooled child resides at a specific address
• Created a data point that would be immediately absorbed into any mandatory registration framework if such a law were passed in the future

Parents who use a private withdrawal letter instead have:

• Notified the school (a local administrative act) and documented the transfer
• Not voluntarily submitted the ISBE/ROE registration form
• Maintained maximum legal privacy consistent with Illinois law

Illinois homeschool advocacy organizations — Illinois H.O.U.S.E., Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE), and the Illinois Home School Alliance (ILHSA) — all advise against voluntary ISBE registration for privacy reasons. This is not a fringe position.

Comparison: ISBE Form 87-02 vs. Private Withdrawal Letter

Who This Is For

• Parents who have been handed the ISBE Form 87-02 packet and told to fill it out as a condition of withdrawal
• Families who discovered — after filing — that the form was voluntary and want to understand their options
• Parents concerned about the state registration-record implications of voluntary registration, particularly in the aftermath of HB 2827
• Anyone looking for the simplest, most legally defensible way to begin homeschooling in Illinois without state oversight

Who This Is NOT For

• Families who have already completed a clean withdrawal (with or without the 87-02) and are past the administrative phase
• Parents who actively want the state to have a record of their homeschool — there are privacy arguments on both sides, and some families prefer the documentation trail that comes with official registration

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I refuse to fill out ISBE Form 87-02?

Nothing, legally. The form is voluntary. If the school refuses to process your withdrawal without it, that's an administrative delay — not a legal consequence. A follow-up letter citing the voluntary status of the form and requesting written confirmation of withdrawal processing is the appropriate response. The Blueprint includes this follow-up letter.

Is there any legal risk to not submitting the ISBE registration form?

No direct legal risk exists for declining a voluntary form. The ISBE's own website implies that non-submission increases truancy risk, but the form is not what determines homeschool legality. A withdrawal letter documents notice to the school and can help close the enrollment loop, while actual compliance still depends on providing the required instruction and addressing any attendance-record issue.

Can I withdraw the ISBE Form 87-02 after I've already submitted it?

The ISBE does not have a formal withdrawal process for families who have already submitted the voluntary form. However, submitting the form does not create any legal obligation you're now bound by. You're not registered in a regulatory framework — you've simply created an administrative record. For families concerned about data retention, contacting the ROE in writing and requesting that the record be removed is a reasonable step, though the ROE's obligation to comply is not clearly established in law.

Will I get truancy letters if I don't submit the ISBE 87-02?

The form is not what determines homeschool legality. A Certified Mail withdrawal letter documents notice to the school, but the school may still need to correct its attendance records. The truancy risk comes from the attendance record and from whether the homeschool is actually providing the required instruction — not from submitting the 87-02.

Do Illinois homeschool co-ops or organizations require ISBE registration?

No. Neither ILHSA, ICHE, Illinois H.O.U.S.E., nor any other Illinois homeschool organization requires ISBE Form 87-02 registration for membership or participation. Most actively advise against it.

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