For families leaving an IEP behind
Homeschooling a child who had an IEP
Parents usually arrive at this question after a bad year: the plan was written, the plan was not followed, and homeschooling starts to look like the only lever left. The part nobody explains clearly is what happens to the IEP itself when you withdraw, so here it is first, and the product second.
What happens to the IEP when you withdraw
An IEP is a public school document. It exists under IDEA because a public school is responsible for educating your child, and in most states withdrawing to homeschool ends that responsibility and the IEP with it. What replaces it varies enormously: some states offer a services plan, some allow part-time enrolment or related services through the district, and some offer nothing at all. This is a state and district question, and it is worth asking in writing before you withdraw rather than after.
Two things that usually survive
The district generally keeps its Child Find duty, which means it must still identify and evaluate children with suspected disabilities who live in the district, including homeschooled ones. And the evaluations and reports already in your child's file are yours to request and keep. Get copies before you leave, because they are harder to obtain afterwards and they are what any future provider will ask for.
What a curriculum can carry, and what it cannot
Some of what an IEP specifies is instructional: extended time, work at the student's own pace, repeated instruction, immediate corrective feedback, reduced distraction, breaking work into smaller pieces. Those live in how a curriculum is built. The rest of an IEP is services and legal process: speech, occupational therapy, a one-to-one aide, evaluations, goals, annual review. No curriculum provides those, and any that implies otherwise is selling you something.
The instructional side, specifically
Nothing in Letters & Devotion is timed. There are no countdowns, speed scores or streaks. Work is self-paced and scored on mastery, so a skill can be revisited as many times as it takes. Clara explains what went wrong in a wrong answer rather than marking it, which is the same idea as immediate corrective feedback. Lessons are units rather than weeks, so there is no schedule to fall behind. The page is uncluttered and there is nothing on it competing for attention.
The paperwork you will want later
Instructional hours log automatically, mastery is tracked per skill as a portfolio record, and a transcript prints in one click. If your child ever re-enrols, or you request a district evaluation, the question is always what has actually been taught and learned, and that record already exists instead of having to be written from memory.
You can read what the teacher said to your child
From the parent side you can open any lesson and read the entire conversation, in order, with no summarising in between. For a parent who has spent years unable to see how their child was actually spoken to during the school day, this tends to matter more than any feature on the list.
What this is not
- This is not an IEP and it does not replace one. It is a curriculum. It writes no goals, holds no meetings and provides no services.
- No speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavioural support, aide or evaluation. Nothing here substitutes for any of them.
- It is not special education and no part of it was designed by a special educator. The features above are how the product is built for everyone, and they happen to overlap with some common accommodations.
- Lessons are read and typed, and there is no audio narration yet. For a child whose plan relies on text-to-speech or a reader, this is the wrong tool today and we would rather say so.
- Nothing here is legal advice. What happens to your child's IEP depends on your state and district, and you should confirm it with them directly, in writing.
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Questions parents ask
Does my child keep their IEP if I homeschool?
In most states, no. An IEP exists because a public school is responsible for your child's education, and withdrawing generally ends both. Some states offer a services plan or allow part-time enrolment or related services instead, and some offer nothing. Confirm with your district and state before you withdraw. This is not legal advice.
Can I still get an evaluation from the district?
Districts generally retain a Child Find obligation to identify and evaluate children with suspected disabilities living in the district, including homeschooled children. How that works in practice varies, so ask your district in writing.
Should I get copies of the school records first?
Yes. Request the evaluations, reports and the current IEP before you withdraw. They are harder to obtain afterwards and they are what any future provider or evaluator will ask to see.
Does Letters & Devotion provide IEP services or accommodations?
No. It is a curriculum, not a service provider. It provides no therapy, no aide, no evaluation and no legal plan. What it does offer is untimed self-paced work, mastery-based practice, and a teacher that explains mistakes rather than marking them.
Is there text-to-speech for a child who needs a reader?
Not yet. Lessons are read and typed. If your child's plan depends on text-to-speech, this is not the right tool today.
Also written up
This page is a plain-language summary and is not legal advice. Special education law is federal, but what is available to a homeschooling family is decided by your state and your district. Confirm your own situation with them directly.