Homeschoolers are still encountering roadblocks from skeptical employers and bureaucrats who question if a homeschool diploma is proof of graduation.

For example, an 18-year-old homeschool graduate in Alabama hired by a supermarket chain was being treated by his employer as if he were still in school. Attorney Dan Beasley with the Home School Legal Defense Association explains.

“The graduate … wasn’t allowed to work during certain hours, specifically in the morning or in the evening before school days,” the attorney says. “And he had to follow some other requirements and fill out different forms because they were considering him to be a student or an individual who should be in school.”

Publix, the graduate’s employer, asked for specific proof of his graduation: the results of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam – a state-required prerequisite for receiving a high school diploma, but not a requirement for homeschool students. However, he did submit his transcript and his ACT score that placed him in the top five percent of students who took the college entrance exam.

Beasley

That’s when HSLDA got involved, sending Publix’ corporate office a letter of explanation. But Beasley says that even met with skepticism.

“They reviewed our letter and actually reviewed it with their attorney – and I guess initially, the report I received, was that they weren’t necessarily convinced just by the letter itself,” he notes.

“But then they reviewed it with their legal counsel and determined that, yes, this graduate is a legitimate high school graduate in Alabama, and they went ahead and removed that perplexing restriction.”

The graduate’s grateful mother stated they had been HSLDA members for more than a decade but didn’t need their legal services until after he was graduated.