Home School Legal Defense Association

Official logo released in 2018

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit[1] organization established to "defend and advance the constitutional rights of parents to direct the education of their children and protect family freedom."[2] They are designed to aid homeschooling families with legal actions. HSLDA now represents over 80,000 member families in the United States.[1][2] The organization employs over 50 staff members in both full-time and part-time positions and is located in Purcellville, Virginia.[3]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Achievements
* 2.1 Other programs
* 2.1.1 Patrick Henry College
* 2.1.2 HSLDA Online Academy
* 2.1.3 Home School Foundation
* 2.1.4 Publications
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## History[edit]

HSLDA was started in 1983 by Michael Farris and Michael Smith to provide legal protection for homeschooling families. The organization has grown in the past few years and even gone into Canada. They have also helped out homeschoolers in South Africa.

## Achievements[edit]

HSLDA has won a number of court cases defending homeshoolers, and the right of families to home school in the United States. In many cases, they have also been able to resolve problems in the favor of home schooling families out of court. In addition to their legal activities, they have succeeded in a number of other programs.

### Other programs[edit]

#### Patrick Henry College[edit]

For a more detailed treatment, see Patrick Henry College.
In 1998, Michael Farris along with the support of HSLDA founded Patrick Henry College. It officially opened September 20, 2000. This college was founded specifically for Christian students who were home-schooled. In April 2007, it was fully accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.[4]

#### HSLDA Online Academy[edit]

To further help support home schooling families, HSLDA and Patrick Henry College founded the HSLDA Online Academy in 2009. It is intended to help supplement High School curriculum. The academy is headquartered in Northern Virginia, but it has students from all 50 states who in some cases work remotely (online) with their other students scattered across all 50 U.S. states, Europe, and Asia.[5]

#### Home School Foundation[edit]

In another attempt to support home schooling families, HSLDA started the Home School Foundation. This is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization which helps families deal with the costs of home schooling through a variety of different funds.[6]

#### Publications[edit]

As well as regular updates published on their website, HSLDA is responsible for other publications, including:

* A magazine provided in print on a bimonthly basis, by mail
* Michael P. Farris, working for HSLDA, published the book Constitutional Law for Enlightened Citizens

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.hslda.org/about
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.hslda.org/about/staff/attorneys/Smith.asp
3. ↑ http://www.hslda.org/about/history/perspective.asp
4. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902584.html
5. ↑ https://academy.hslda.org/about
6. ↑ https://www.homeschoolfoundation.org/index.php?id=17

## External links[edit]

* Home School Legal Defense - Official Website
* Home School Foundation - Official Website
* HSLDA Online Academy - Official Website