Written Notice
What is a Written Notice?
A written notice is a letter informing your School Service Center (SSC) or School Board (SB) AND the Ministry of Education that you are exercising your right to be excused from compulsory school attendance.
It’s not a request for permission. You don’t have to justify or wait for confirmation to withdraw your child from school or start homeschooling.
You can use the AQED template (at the bottom of the page) or the Ministry form, which is usually available on your SSC/SB website. You can also use the DEM’s Secure Site for Homeschool Providers. When you use this option, a pre-filled form is automatically generated, so all you have to do is go to the “Annual notice of Intent “ tab in your child’s file, download it, and send it to your SSC/SB.
You will receive an acknowledgment of receipt from the DEM, which you should keep for your records.
What Should It Include?
- Child’s Details
- Name, address and date of birth
- Permanent code, if the child attended a school. Otherwise, indicate that this is not applicable. It can be found on report cards and other documents received from the school or school board. If you do not know the permanent code you can call the school or Contact the government, or simply leave that section blank.
- Parent’s Details
- Name, address, and phone number. Contact information for both parents is required, even if only one parent has custody of the child.
- Child’s School Service Center (SSC) or School Board (SB)
- Indicate the SSC/SB in which the child is currently registered.
- If the child is not yet registered with a school service center, enter the name of the French SSC you are zoned to.
- If the child is eligible for English-language instruction, you may choose to enter the English school board you are zoned to.
- School Service Center Chosen to Request Services (if different from above)
- You may have the option to register with another SSC/SB (for example if the one you are zoned for has an extraterritorial agreement, or because your child has English eligibility), if this is the case, please indicate it here.
- Date of Withdrawal From School
- Date on which the child ceased or will cease to attend school, if applicable. If the withdrawal took place several years ago, give an approximate date (month and year).
Where Should You Send It?
The homeschooling notice must be sent to the Direction de l’enseignement à la maison (DEM) AND to your School Service Center (SSC) or School Board (SB).
You can find contact details for your SSC or SB on the website of the Ministère de l’Éducation.
Direction de l’enseignement à la maison
Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur
600, rue Fullum, 11e étage
Montréal (Québec) H2K 4L1
514 787-3582
1 866 747-6626
Fax : 514 864-8921
Email : [email protected]
When Must It be Sent?
- If your child is not enrolled in school for the fall, the notice must be sent before July 1 (however, the Ministry’s Secure Site for the coming year is usually activated by mid-June, so you have between mid-June and July 1 to submit your notice online).
- If the withdrawal is during the school year, the notice must be sent within 10 days of the withdrawal.
- If your child is enrolled in school and you wish to start homeschooling the following school year, you can wait until the start of the school year to notify the DEM and the SSC/SB of your choice to homeschool.