Quote From: mammato4boysThe funding issue isn't important in the case of ONE child, but if MANY homeschooled children decided to take various classes, it WOULD be an issue because schools in Florida are funded per student. It doesn't matter if that child 's family paid taxes, not to that particular school anyway. I am not suggesting that homeschool students be denied access, but if a flood of homeschool students were to need public school classes, the funding laws need to change.
I agree and that is why I find it hard to believe, given the state law, that the public school would receive no additional funding.
You seem to be dead set against the idea that any parent would homeschool their child and NOT comply with the regulations. Why is that?
No, not at all. I'm simply pointing out that in your situation you, and I'm sure the other administrators at the school assumed that the homeschool parents did not comply with state regulation because you were acknowledgeable of the state laws. In fact you (on a local school level) have no way of knowing if they complied. Individual schools do not govern homeschoolers, state laws govern homeschoolers.
I would imagine that if I had sent YOU a letter stating that the standardized tests were available to you at the school on such and such dates along with a reminder of homeschool compliance laws, you would not have IGNORED it. You most likely would have called the school to inform us that you were using a different option. I am assuming you, and most good homeschooling parents, would want to avoid a misunderstanding or a bureaucratic mess.
I don't live in a state that requires testing but if I did I wouldn't feel the need to answer to individual schools. The only misunderstanding or bureaucratic mess would be a result of the administrators lack of knowledge on the homeschooling laws. That is why it is so important for those in the public school system to be knowledgeable of the state law concerning homeschooling.
I really do not understand this mentality that schools are against homeschoolers.
Please go visit the website for HSLDA. It gives case after case of examples.
As far as schools needing to understand the laws regarding homeschooling, maybe. Realize the multitude of laws and regulations that school personnel need to be on top of. In dealing with high stakes testing, drugs, gangs, ESOL, ESE, federal IDEA, character education, curriculum standards, etc., homeschooling will fall to the bottom of the priority list simply because the people who work in schools generally have very little interaction with homeschoolers. The rest of the stuff is in our face every day.
I understand that there are many laws that administrators must keep in mind. But, they do not belittle the importance of being educated in the state laws concerning homeschooling.
A principal, vice principal or any other administrative position in a local school is not responsible for homeschool attendance laws, testing, letter of intent to homeschool or any other aspect of homeschool requirements. These requirements are monitored on a higher level.
Local school administrations should be knowledgeable about the homeschooling laws for the simple fact that they are state laws concerning schooling.
Also, if they were knowledgeable it would avoid any misconceptions. You asked before, "I am assuming you, and most good homeschooling parents, would want to avoid a misunderstanding or a bureaucratic mess. Am I wrong?". This is the perfect example of how not being knowledgeable of the state laws will cause a problem. You are assuming that homeschoolers would answer to a local school to avoid a bureaucratic mess. But, what you aren't understanding is that the bureaucratic mess is created by the administration not being knowledgeable of the laws. If they were knowledgeable they would know that the homeschoolers do not answer to local schools and they would not assume the homeschoolers didn't comply with the law.
As a fellow educator I'm sure you agree that knowledge is crucial. This is just another example of how a lack of knowledge can lead to problems.
If you want to give me a specific case to review, I will gladly look at it. I find legal cases extremely interesting. I have visited the HSDLA website. I know you won't like this, but to me, it comes off as the homeschoolers' version of the NEA. I'd rather not delve into one-sided rhetoric, but again, I will look at any specific cases you feel are relevant to our conversation.
Please understand that I was never under any illusion that I was responsible for any homeschooling laws or enforcement of those laws. I was simply the testing coordinator, and responsible for a task. I believe the letters were sent to me first so I would know what to expect and what accommodations I needed to make for homeschoolers taking the test. Of the five students on my list, I only knew one of them. When I returned the testing materials to the district, I asked about the unused tests and I was told simply to document that the students did not take the test. If they had taken the test at another district school, I would have been asked to send the testing booklets to that school.
I inquired about the one student I knew because this was ABSOLUTELY a case of a student being home but not schooled. If you need specifics, Mom was simply avoiding the truancy laws, and the child was staying home with his teenage sister and her baby all day. I asked what would happen as a result of him not taking the test, and I was told most likely nothing. That the state would probably catch up to him eventually, but it would take a long time.
You asked before, "I am assuming you, and most good homeschooling parents, would want to avoid a misunderstanding or a bureaucratic mess. Am I wrong?". This is the perfect example of how not being knowledgeable of the state laws will cause a problem.
I guess we simply think differently. The reason the letter had the school information on it was because that child's test was at the school. I don't think I could have caused a bureaucratic mess, but I would think the parent would want to respond - if not out of a sense of accountability, perhaps out of a sense of courtesy. I have had banks and other institutions make mistakes or even simply send me information that I didn't think applied to me, I would call to question. Quite frankly, I was a bit surprised that not one parent bothered to say. "Hey, do not worry about making any accommodations for our testing, we are doing something else."
I do realize that knowledge is crucial, but I also realize that it is impossible to be completely knowledgeable about everything, even within a given job. I am more than happy to have a few specialized people take care of knowing all the laws pertaining to homeschooling or any other issue. When I was a school administrator, I knew how to get in touch with the people who specialized in certain areas. Notice that I didn't call the homeschoolers, report them to authorities, or bang on their doors. I simply turned over the information and asked what else was expected of me.
I get the sense that some homeschoolers are so militant about their beliefs that they don't understand that it simply isn't the center of everyone else's universe. My son took swimming lessons with a boy whose mother was homeschooling her children. She told me that she and other homeschooling parents in her network were pressuring the YMCA to offer a special swim class for homeschooling students; they were even considering a lawsuit. She reasoned that it was discrimination that the Y offered swimming lessons at times convenient for public school kids, therefore, it should offer lessons at time convenient for the homeschoolers. I find that incredibly self-involved.
Parents want the best for their children, but what’s the best way to educate them? Dr. Phil’s guests face off in a debate about whether to school, homeschool or unschool. Dana and her husband, Joe, call themselves radical unschoolers. They say education happens as a side effect of life, and they don’t believe in tests, curriculums or grades. Are their three kids learning what they need to know? Then, RaeAnn says public schools are death traps and wants to homeschool her children. Her husband, Steve, says their kids are safer at school than they are at home. Can this couple reach a compromise? Plus, Nicole feels like an outcast at 26. She says she hated being homeschooled, and couldn’t relate to other kids. Share your thoughts here.
