Homeschool in New Mexico
New Mexico Public Education Department Homeschool Notification Form
As a home school operator, you must fulfill these requirements:
As a home school operator, you must fulfill these requirements:
- be the student’s parent or the legal guardian
- have a high school diploma or GED (You must also ensure that anyone instructing your child also has a high school diploma or GED.)
- keep a calendar in your files showing that you are teaching your child at least 180 days out of the school year
- keep a copy of your own diploma or degree in your own files
- keep a copy of your child's immunization records or objection to immunization waiver form in your own files (see below)
- send electronic or written notification to the state’s Secretary of Education within thirty (30) days of the establishment of the home school
- renew the home school's establishment every year on or before August 1st by submitting written notification to the state
Archdiocese of Santa Fe Policies for Home-Based Religious Education
The religious education/faith formation of children and youth is the responsibility of parents, pastors and the local parish community. (Code of Canon Law #773, 774. 776, 777). One way that parents may choose to live out their role as primary educators of their children in the ways of faith is to provide catechesis for their children in the home. The rights and responsibilities of parents and parishes alike in this endeavor call for a true partnership between the two. Adherence to the following policies safeguards that partnership.
1. After making the decision to catechize their children at home, parents are to meet with their pastor and/or his delegate for enrollment and assistance in developing a catechetical plan and in choosing suitable catechetical materials.
(Canon #776)
2. Anyone assuming the role of catechist for children or youth is expected to use catechetical materials that are recommended by the Religious Education Office of the Archdiocese. (Canon #775) The Archdiocese recommends texts that have been found by the Bishops' Committee on the Catechism to be in doctrinal compliance with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and by the Archdiocese to meet the doctrinal and pedagogical standards of catechetical documents such as the General Catechetical Directory and the National Directory of Catechesis.
3. If Catholic parents choose to provide catechesis for their children in their home, that catechesis must be both complete and authentic. (NDC #61)
4. Parents are encouraged and invited to use the Archdiocesan Ministry Resource Center, located at the Catholic Center inAlbuquerque, and their own parish resource libraries to supplement their catechetical efforts. (Canon #779)
5. All parents have an obligation to involve their children in the life and mission of the Church and to participate in parish liturgies and/or other events prepared specifically for children and their families. Parents should participate fully in the life of the local parish, should celebrate the Sunday Mass in the local parish, involve themselves in its charitable works, and attend appropriate training and formation sessions the parish or diocese provides.
6. Parents who choose to be not only the primary educators of their children but also their catechist must adhere to all guidelines for catechists as outlined by the diocesan bishop. Likewise, the diocese must require the same formation and certification for parents who choose home-based catechesis. (NDC #61)
7. The pastor and/or his delegate encourages the parents to prepare for their role as catechist by participating in courses and workshops offered by the parish or by Formation for Christian Service of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, as described in the Handbook for Parish Pastoral Leadership. (Canon #780)
8. Dialogue between the pastor and the parents is essential to the complete and authentic catechesis of children in their homes. Parents, therefore, are expected to meet with the pastor and/or his delegate periodically to review the progress of their catechetical efforts.
9. Parents and children are to participate in the special requirements of the sacramental preparation process offered by the parish, including parent and child sessions, appropriate initiation rites, retreats and sacramental celebrations, and provision of sacramental documents. (Canon # 777)
10. The Sacramental Policies of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe will be used to guide the pastor and/or his delegate in deciding with the parents the readiness of the child for receiving a sacrament.
1. After making the decision to catechize their children at home, parents are to meet with their pastor and/or his delegate for enrollment and assistance in developing a catechetical plan and in choosing suitable catechetical materials.
(Canon #776)
2. Anyone assuming the role of catechist for children or youth is expected to use catechetical materials that are recommended by the Religious Education Office of the Archdiocese. (Canon #775) The Archdiocese recommends texts that have been found by the Bishops' Committee on the Catechism to be in doctrinal compliance with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and by the Archdiocese to meet the doctrinal and pedagogical standards of catechetical documents such as the General Catechetical Directory and the National Directory of Catechesis.
3. If Catholic parents choose to provide catechesis for their children in their home, that catechesis must be both complete and authentic. (NDC #61)
4. Parents are encouraged and invited to use the Archdiocesan Ministry Resource Center, located at the Catholic Center inAlbuquerque, and their own parish resource libraries to supplement their catechetical efforts. (Canon #779)
5. All parents have an obligation to involve their children in the life and mission of the Church and to participate in parish liturgies and/or other events prepared specifically for children and their families. Parents should participate fully in the life of the local parish, should celebrate the Sunday Mass in the local parish, involve themselves in its charitable works, and attend appropriate training and formation sessions the parish or diocese provides.
6. Parents who choose to be not only the primary educators of their children but also their catechist must adhere to all guidelines for catechists as outlined by the diocesan bishop. Likewise, the diocese must require the same formation and certification for parents who choose home-based catechesis. (NDC #61)
7. The pastor and/or his delegate encourages the parents to prepare for their role as catechist by participating in courses and workshops offered by the parish or by Formation for Christian Service of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, as described in the Handbook for Parish Pastoral Leadership. (Canon #780)
8. Dialogue between the pastor and the parents is essential to the complete and authentic catechesis of children in their homes. Parents, therefore, are expected to meet with the pastor and/or his delegate periodically to review the progress of their catechetical efforts.
9. Parents and children are to participate in the special requirements of the sacramental preparation process offered by the parish, including parent and child sessions, appropriate initiation rites, retreats and sacramental celebrations, and provision of sacramental documents. (Canon # 777)
10. The Sacramental Policies of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe will be used to guide the pastor and/or his delegate in deciding with the parents the readiness of the child for receiving a sacrament.
Diocese of Las Cruces Policies for Religious Education and Home Schooling
The Church has long recognized that parents have the primary responsibility for passing on the faith to their children (C797-9). When a parent chooses to home-school religious education it is the appropriate role of the Church to offer programs that support the parents’ efforts.
We offer these guidelines as a source of information and a touchstone of cooperation between parishes and families.
Parents who wish to home-school their children in religious education should schedule a meeting with their pastor to discuss their plans for catechesis. Meetings should be ongoing throughout the year to ensure adequate support to the parents and to avoid miscommunication particularly when sacramental preparation is involved.
Ideally the materials used in home schooling will be identical to those used in the parish. However, parents may select comparable texts. All educational materials will be reviewed with the pastor and conform to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Assistance in this the selection of material is available through the Diocesan Offices of Education and Formation.
Parents will be given age appropriate Safe Environment material for discussion with their child and parents shall be invited to participate in parent presentations. Parishes will include home schooling families with any informational mailings dealing with the sacraments and surrounding events.
Home schooled children are expected to meet the same standards as other students and to participate in service projects and retreats. The parents may be entrusted to oversee the service or make alternate arrangements for the retreats or the child may participate with the parish faith community.
It is the pastor, in collaboration with the parish catechetical team, whom the Church has called to work with parents to determine a child’s readiness for reception of the sacraments. In preparation for the sacraments the children shall attend rehearsals and where it is afford by the parish parents are encouraged to participate in catechesis to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the sacraments in the life of the Church and in their own lives.
A candidate whose parents do not participate in special preparation may not for this reason be deprived of the right to Eucharistic Communion (Canon Law 843:912).
We offer these guidelines as a source of information and a touchstone of cooperation between parishes and families.
Parents who wish to home-school their children in religious education should schedule a meeting with their pastor to discuss their plans for catechesis. Meetings should be ongoing throughout the year to ensure adequate support to the parents and to avoid miscommunication particularly when sacramental preparation is involved.
Ideally the materials used in home schooling will be identical to those used in the parish. However, parents may select comparable texts. All educational materials will be reviewed with the pastor and conform to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Assistance in this the selection of material is available through the Diocesan Offices of Education and Formation.
Parents will be given age appropriate Safe Environment material for discussion with their child and parents shall be invited to participate in parent presentations. Parishes will include home schooling families with any informational mailings dealing with the sacraments and surrounding events.
Home schooled children are expected to meet the same standards as other students and to participate in service projects and retreats. The parents may be entrusted to oversee the service or make alternate arrangements for the retreats or the child may participate with the parish faith community.
It is the pastor, in collaboration with the parish catechetical team, whom the Church has called to work with parents to determine a child’s readiness for reception of the sacraments. In preparation for the sacraments the children shall attend rehearsals and where it is afford by the parish parents are encouraged to participate in catechesis to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the sacraments in the life of the Church and in their own lives.
A candidate whose parents do not participate in special preparation may not for this reason be deprived of the right to Eucharistic Communion (Canon Law 843:912).