How to Write a Withdrawal Letter to the Principal When Homeschooling in Maryland

When Maryland parents decide to pull their child out of a public school to begin home instruction, most of the official guidance focuses on the Notice of Intent form — the document submitted to the county superintendent. What gets less attention is the withdrawal letter to the school principal, which is a separate document and serves a different legal purpose. Getting both of these right, in the right order, is what keeps your family protected during the transition.

This post explains exactly what belongs in the withdrawal letter, how to submit it, and why the format matters more than most parents realize.

The Withdrawal Letter and the Notice of Intent Are Not the Same Document

Many parents assume they only need to fill out the state's Home Instruction Notification form and send it to the superintendent. That assumption creates a gap in the paper trail.

The Notice of Intent to the superintendent is the formal declaration that you are beginning a home instruction program. It is submitted to the county's home instruction coordinator, not to the school building itself.

The withdrawal letter to the principal serves a different function: it formally notifies the school that your child will no longer be attending. This is the document that triggers the school's administrative process of officially disenrolling the student. Without it, the school may continue marking your child absent, which starts the truancy clock.

In Maryland, truancy is a misdemeanor, and under Maryland Education Article §7-303, a parent or guardian who fails to ensure school attendance can face fines of up to $50 per day of unlawful absence. Truancy proceedings can also involve the Department of Social Services. The withdrawal letter, sent to the principal at the same time as the Notice of Intent to the superintendent, closes this vulnerability.

What to Include in the Withdrawal Letter

A Maryland homeschool withdrawal letter to the principal does not need to be long or elaborate. Its function is procedural, not persuasive. The goal is to establish a clear, dated record of your intent.

The letter should include the following elements:

Date and student information. Open with the current date, your child's full legal name, date of birth, grade level, and student ID number if known. This ensures there is no ambiguity about which student is being withdrawn.

A clear statement of withdrawal. State directly that you are withdrawing your child from enrollment at the school effective on a specific date. Do not use vague language like "we are considering" or "planning to transition." Clarity protects you.

The reason, stated briefly and neutrally. You are not legally required to explain why you are choosing home instruction. However, a brief statement — "We are withdrawing [child's name] to begin home instruction under COMAR 13A.10.01" — signals to the principal that you understand the legal framework and are acting within it. This tends to reduce the likelihood that the school will attempt to delay processing or ask intrusive questions.

A reference to your Notice of Intent. Indicate that you have filed, or are simultaneously filing, the Home Instruction Notification form with the county superintendent's office. This connects the two documents in the administrative record.

A request for confirmation of disenrollment. Ask the principal to confirm in writing that your child's enrollment has been terminated and provide the effective disenrollment date. This confirmation is not legally required, but it documents that the school received and processed the withdrawal.

A request to return or retain property. Note the date on which your child will return any school-issued materials (laptops, textbooks, library books), or confirm that all materials have already been returned. This prevents the school from having an outstanding property dispute that they use as leverage to delay the disenrollment process.

How to Submit the Letter

Send the withdrawal letter via certified mail with return receipt requested. This is non-negotiable.

The certified mail receipt creates a timestamped record of delivery that is legally defensible. If the school later claims they never received the letter — which occasionally happens in districts with high staff turnover — the return receipt establishes exactly when the letter arrived and who signed for it.

Hand-delivering the letter is faster, but unless you obtain a date-stamped copy from the school's front office at the moment of delivery, you have no proof that it was received. Email alone is insufficient because it does not create the same legally secure record.

Keep copies of everything: the letter you sent, the certified mail receipt, the green return receipt card when it comes back, and any written confirmation from the school.

Timing: When to Send the Letter

Under COMAR 13A.10.01, the Notice of Intent must be submitted to the superintendent at least 15 days before you begin home instruction. The withdrawal letter to the principal should be sent simultaneously — the same day you send the Notice of Intent.

This means that technically, your child could still be enrolled in the public school for up to 15 days after you file both documents. During this window, if the school continues to mark your child absent rather than processing the withdrawal, those absences accumulate. This is the scenario that generates truancy letters.

Legal advocates, including HSLDA, argue that the 15-day rule is an administrative overstep that conflicts with Maryland's statutory law — the underlying statute does not impose a 15-day delay on the parent's right to begin home instruction. In practice, many Maryland families send both the principal letter and the superintendent Notice of Intent on the same day, note the date instruction is beginning, and keep a daily log from day one to demonstrate that instruction immediately replaced public school attendance if truancy proceedings arise.

If you are withdrawing mid-year due to an urgent situation — bullying, a mental health crisis, or an acute IEP failure — the most important protective step is getting both documents mailed, with certified mail tracking, on the day you make the decision.

What the Principal Can and Cannot Ask

After you send the withdrawal letter, the principal may contact you with questions. Know your rights before that call or email arrives.

The principal may ask when the child's last day will be, when school property will be returned, and whether you have filed the Notice of Intent with the superintendent. These are reasonable administrative questions.

The principal cannot demand to see your curriculum, quiz you on your teaching qualifications, or require you to attend a meeting before the withdrawal is processed. COMAR 13A.10.01.01.F explicitly states that local school systems may not impose requirements for home instruction programs beyond those in the regulations. This anti-overreach clause applies to the withdrawal process as well: the school does not have veto power over your decision to homeschool.

If the principal or a staff member communicates — verbally or in writing — that they will not process the withdrawal until they review your homeschool plan, respond in writing by citing COMAR and requesting that the disenrollment be processed within the standard timeframe. A polite but firm written response often resolves this without escalation.

After the Principal Letter: What Comes Next

Once the withdrawal letter is sent and the Notice of Intent is filed with the superintendent, you have two weeks before the formal home instruction program is officially recognized by the county. Use that time to:

• Choose your supervision pathway (Option 1 county reviews or Option 2 umbrella enrollment)
• If choosing Option 2, complete enrollment with a registered umbrella organization and ensure the umbrella notifies the county of your enrollment before the 15-day window closes
• Begin assembling your curriculum and recording instruction in your daily log from day one
• Confirm that the school has processed the disenrollment when the 15-day period ends

The Maryland Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes a fill-in-the-blank withdrawal letter template formatted for Maryland principals, an explanation of the 15-day window and how to document your way through it, and a step-by-step checklist for both Option 1 and Option 2 supervision. If you are starting this process and want to be certain every document is correct and delivered in the right sequence, the Blueprint is designed specifically for Maryland families in exactly this situation.

See more United States homeschool guides →