Legal Question in Education Law in Pennsylvania

Compulsory school age is until age 17. 24 P.S.13-1327. There are very limited exceptions for 16 year olds' ability to withdraw from attending school. Even with those exceptions, attendance at a trade or vocational school would be required.

However there are alternatives. If a student can demonstrate medical necessity (i.e. a physicians letter or certification) the school district will provide home bound education. Homebound education, is not ideal in that it typically provides no more than five hours of teacher instruction in the home. Another consideration is if your child is covered by an individualized education program (IEP), she may be entitled to a change of placement which is education in the home (this differs from homebound education). In this scenario, more educational services would be provided in the home. An additional consideration is to withdraw from the district and enroll your daughter in a cyber charter school. This involves on-line learning which is delivered in a variety of formats. Finally, there is home schooling.

There are a variety of alternatives to consider for your daughter, which are better than a GED and are compliant with Pennsylvania's Compulsory Education law. You may want to consider consulting with an attorney, knowledgeable about education related issues. This law office is focused on education law issues.

Regards,