How to Pull Your Child from Illinois Public School This Week

You can legally withdraw your child from an Illinois public school today. Illinois is one of the least regulated homeschool states in the country — no registration, no state notification required, no testing, no curriculum approval, no teaching credentials. Under Section 26-1 of the Illinois School Code, your homeschool can qualify for the private-school exemption, and private school students are exempt from compulsory public school attendance. The Illinois Legal Withdrawal Blueprint gives you every document and script you need to execute this cleanly, with a documented transition.

This post walks through exactly what you need to do — and what to expect when the school pushes back.

What the Law Requires (and What It Doesn't)

Most of what you've been told by the school office is either exaggerated or wrong.

What Illinois law actually requires:

• Your homeschool must provide instruction in six subject areas — language arts, mathematics, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, fine arts, and physical development and health — with primary instruction in English
• Instruction must be "at least commensurate with public school standards" — a vague phrase the courts have never defined narrowly, meaning reading books, doing math with everyday applications, and outdoor physical activity qualify

What Illinois law does NOT require:

• Registration with ISBE or any state agency
• Notification to the local school district (though sending a withdrawal letter is strongly recommended — more on why below)
• Annual standardized testing
• No routine portfolio submission to any school or government office
• Teaching credentials or a college degree
• Curriculum submission or approval

The Illinois State Board of Education "highly recommends" that parents submit the ISBE Form 87-02 (Home Schooling Registration Form) to both the school and Regional Office of Education. This form is explicitly labeled voluntary. Schools routinely present it as mandatory. It is not.

Step 1: Write Your Withdrawal Letter

Send a withdrawal letter to the school — specifically to the principal, not just the front desk — the same day you stop sending your child. The letter does not need to be long. It should include:

• Your child's full name, date of birth, and current grade
• A statement that you are withdrawing your child to receive private home-based instruction
• A citation of your legal authority: Section 26-1 of the Illinois School Code
• The date from which home instruction begins
• A request to unenroll your child from the school's active enrollment roster

Do not include:

• Your curriculum plan or choice of materials
• A list of subjects you plan to teach
• A statement that you plan to "homeschool" (use "private home-based instruction" or "transfer to a private school")
• Any indication that you are open to a follow-up meeting or curriculum review

Over-explanation is the most common mistake. Every additional detail invites additional demands.

Step 2: Deliver Via Certified Mail

Email alone may not provide reliable proof, and verbal notification creates a weak record. Send the withdrawal letter via Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested at any USPS post office. This service provides:

• A tracking and delivery record for the letter
• A physical or electronic return receipt when available — evidence of delivery
• Postal documentation you can preserve if the school later disputes receipt

Keep the receipt and a copy of the letter. If the school later claims it never received your withdrawal, you have delivery evidence to present.

Step 3: Expect Pushback — And Know How to Handle It

In Illinois, particularly in Chicago Public Schools and large suburban districts, the school will push back. This is not because withdrawal is illegal. It is because schools lose per-pupil funding (apportionment) when a student leaves, and the administrative apparatus is incentivized to delay, confuse, or intimidate the parent into staying.

Common pushback scenarios and what to say:

"You need to fill out the ISBE Form 87-02 before we can process anything." Response: "ISBE Form 87-02 is explicitly marked voluntary on the form itself. Illinois law does not require it for homeschool withdrawal. I have provided written notification of my intent to transfer my child to private home instruction under Section 26-1 of the Illinois School Code. Please process the withdrawal from your enrollment records as of [date]. I will not be completing voluntary state registration forms."

"You need to come into the Regional Office of Education." Response: "Illinois law places no obligation on parents to visit or register with the Regional Office of Education to begin a home school. My withdrawal letter has been sent via Certified Mail and documents notice of the transfer. Please confirm when my child's enrollment has been terminated."

"Your child is being marked with unexcused absences." Response: "My child's withdrawal was formally communicated via Certified Mail, received by your office on [date], as documented by the attached USPS Return Receipt. Please review the attendance record from the documented transfer date and correct any entries that do not reflect the transfer. If unexcused absences accumulate despite the documented notice, please explain the entries and correct them in writing."

"You need a teaching credential to homeschool in Illinois." Response: "Illinois law does not require homeschooling parents to hold teaching credentials, a college degree, or any certification. This is confirmed by the Illinois State Board of Education's own FAQ. My withdrawal letter stands as submitted."

What Happens to Your Child's IEP or 504 Plan

If your child has an active IEP or 504 Plan, request your child's complete educational records under FERPA before sending the withdrawal letter. Do this in writing to the school's special education coordinator. Once you withdraw, the school is no longer proactively obligated to share evaluation materials with you. Having the complete file before you leave avoids weeks of follow-up.

After withdrawal:

• The public-school IEP and 504 Plan do not continue as the same public-school programs; eligible homeschooled/private-school students may still qualify for proportionate-share services
• Your child retains federal Child Find rights: you can request a Child Find evaluation, and Illinois's evaluation timeline is 60 school days
• You can replicate accommodations at home using the IEP as a roadmap — the Blueprint covers how to do this without recreating a rigid school-at-home structure

When Is the Right Time to Do This?

There is no wrong time. Illinois law allows withdrawal at any point in the school year, including mid-year. There is no "waiting for the end of the semester."

If your child is currently suffering — through bullying, anxiety, an unmanaged IEP, or a school that is actively unsafe — there is no legal reason to keep them enrolled while waiting for a more convenient moment.

One important note: if you stop sending your child before the withdrawal letter is received by the school, those days may be marked as unexcused absences in the district's system. Unexcused absences over a threshold may trigger automated truancy alerts. Reduce this administrative risk by sending the letter via Certified Mail the same day your child stops attending.

The Truancy Risk Is Real — And Timely Withdrawal Reduces It

Illinois classifies truancy as a Class C misdemeanor — up to $500 in fines and up to 30 days in county jail for a parent. More serious: truancy investigations routinely trigger DCFS referrals, which can result in home visits and, in extreme cases, temporary removal of children from the home.

These penalties do not follow merely from a properly documented withdrawal and compliant instruction, but a delivery record alone does not eliminate all risk. The risk is greatest when parents:

1. Stop sending their child without any formal withdrawal documentation
2. Respond to pushback by withdrawing verbally or by email without certified delivery
3. Fail to establish and provide the required private-school instruction after withdrawing

A Certified Mail withdrawal letter citing Section 26-1 helps document the transfer; compliance also depends on actually providing the required instruction and responding to any attendance inquiry.

Who This Is For

• Parents whose child is currently suffering and who need to act now, not at the end of the school year
• Parents who called the school and were told they need to visit the ROE, fill out state forms, or submit curriculum for review
• CPS families who have attempted withdrawal and hit the bureaucratic wall of the Statement of Assurance and CPS's Department of Policy, Ethics, & Records
• Collar county families in DuPage, Lake, Will, or Kane counties whose district is delaying processing the withdrawal
• Parents of IEP or 504 students who need guidance on records requests and service transition before they withdraw

Who This Is NOT For

• Parents still researching whether to homeschool — the Blueprint assumes the decision to withdraw is already made
• Families planning to withdraw at the end of the school year with plenty of time to research independently
• Parents who have already completed a clean, uncontested withdrawal and are looking for curriculum guidance

Tradeoffs

Doing it yourself with free resources:

• Legal information is available through ILHSA, ICHE, and ISBE's FAQ — the core law is public
• Free resources are accurate but fragmented across multiple sites, written in legal language, and don't provide the behavioral coaching for school pushback
• The ISBE website's own guidance actively steers parents toward voluntary registration, which creates privacy exposure
• Reddit provides community support but contradictory, often state-irrelevant advice

The Blueprint:

• Instant access — everything in one document, ready to use within the hour
• Five letter templates for every common scenario (standard, mid-year, CPS, private school, IEP)
• Pre-written pushback scripts for every resistance pattern Illinois schools use
• CPS-specific navigation for Chicago families
• IEP exit protocol and FERPA records guidance
• No ongoing subscription, no membership application required

Limitation: The Blueprint is a document, not a legal defense relationship. If your situation has escalated to formal truancy prosecution or an active DCFS case, consult a family law attorney — the Blueprint supports prevention, not criminal defense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to notify Illinois of my decision to homeschool?

No. Illinois does not require parents to notify the state, ISBE, or the Regional Office of Education before beginning homeschool. You should send a withdrawal letter to the school — not to comply with state law, but to document the transfer and ask the school to close the enrollment loop and update its attendance records.

How soon can my child stop going to school?

There is no statutory waiting period. For a mid-year withdrawal, deliver the letter within 14 days of your child's last physical attendance; delivery on the final day is safest. Begin the required private-school instruction on or shortly after the effective date rather than treating the school's processing as approval.

What if the school keeps marking my child absent after I send the letter?

Send a written follow-up citing your Certified Mail delivery date and tracking number. State clearly that all absences after that date should be removed from the attendance record. If the school continues marking absences and contacts you with truancy warnings, respond in writing only — do not call — and preserve every document. The Blueprint includes follow-up letter templates for this exact situation.

Does Illinois require any curriculum or test scores at any point?

No. Illinois does not require standardized testing, routine portfolio submission, annual reporting, or routine curriculum review for homeschooling families. The legal requirement is providing instruction in the six required subject areas at a level commensurate with public school standards, with primary instruction in English. What that looks like at home is entirely your decision.

What is the ISBE Form 87-02 and do I have to fill it out?

The ISBE Form 87-02 is Illinois's voluntary home schooling registration form. The word "voluntary" appears on the form itself. Schools and the ISBE website present it as a strong recommendation and use language about truancy risk to pressure parents into completing it. You are not legally required to submit it. Submitting it voluntarily creates a state registration record — the kind of record HB 2827 attempted to make mandatory before it was defeated by organized opposition. The Blueprint explains how to decline the form legally and what to say when the school demands it.

See more Illinois guides →