Part-Time Homeschooling Deadline Approaches

http://www.illinoisloop.org/homeschool.html:

Is your child struggling, or not being challenged, by some particular program at your school? Or, are you generally content with what your school offers, perhaps with the exception of math, or reading instruction? Illinois parents have an option that is almost unknown: part-time homeschooling.


Illinois state law permits parents to withdraw their children from specific classes, with that subject's material to be covered through homeschooling instead. In some cases, the student leaves the school during those times; in other cases, this becomes an extra study period.

Part-time homeschooling is covered by this section of Illinois' school code. (Note that the phrase "nonpublic school" includes homeschools.)

(105 ILCS 5/10-20.24)


Sec. 10-20.24. Part-time Attendance. To accept in part-time attendance in the regular education program of the district pupils enrolled in nonpublic schools if there is sufficient space in the public school desired to be attended. Request for attendance in the following school year must be submitted by the nonpublic school principal to the public school before May 1. Request may be made only to those public schools located in the district where the child attending the nonpublic school resides.


To accept, pursuant to the provisions of Section 14-6.01, in part-time attendance resident pupils of the types described in Sections 14-1.02 through 14-1.07 who are enrolled in nonpublic schools.


(Source: P.A. 80-1509.)

The key part of that paragraph is that you must file your request prior to May 1st, stating that you will be part-time homeschooling the following year. In some cases, schools may be very agreeable and helpful, but in other cases you may have to doggedly pursue your rights. It is likely that many school administrators are not even aware that this option exists.
 
Parents that wish to homeschool their children and enroll them in public school "part-time" must forward this request to their school principal before May 1, 2011 for the 2011-2012 school year.
 
http://www.isbe.net/homeschool/faq.pdf See #12.