Posted on 10/09/2019 2:05:58 PM PDT by Dr. Sivana
Baltimore: “Homeschooling Starts in Public School.” ??? by Scott Woodruff • October 4, 2019
The city of Baltimore has once again created conflict by unlawfully demanding that homeschool families enroll in public school. I addressed this issue less than two months ago and believed it was resolved. It was disappointing to see it surface again.
A family moved to Maryland from another state and decided to homeschool their children in Baltimore. They filed a proper notice of intent, but a local official told them: “You need to enroll your children first in the local public school, and then un-enroll them so they can be placed on the homeschool roster.” Sounds like nonsense, right?
This sounded wrong to the parents. They emailed an official at the Maryland State Department of Education. The reply from the official, however, seemed to confirm that Baltimore could indeed demand that the children first be enrolled in public school.
A Question of Authority
After the family asked Home School Legal Defense Association for help, I called the state official. We had a friendly conversation in which I explained that public schools have no authority to insist that a homeschool family enroll their children in public school.
The official agreed. We also agreed that the source of the problem was probably several poorly worded phrases in a state manual on which public school staff rely. The official agreed to pursue changes to the wording of the manual to reduce the likelihood of similar errors in the future.
All Maryland public school systems use the same state manual, but the problems are coming only from Baltimore. There may be a training or implementation problem in that jurisdiction. We can hope for more sensible administration of the laws going forward.
At first glance, I thought it said Baltimore: “Homeshooting Starts in Public School.” Then I had to go back for a second look because the first one made perfect sense.
Once the students are enrolled, the Baltimore school district can be paid by the state for them. When they are un-enrolled, does that get reported to the state? Or does it work like registering to vote in Dem-run cities, where one is never dropped from the rolls, even after death.
True statement. I’ve been teaching and deprogramming my kid from K.
It makes sense, but not in the way they think.
When I was a pup, our local public schools were good enough that nobody much really considered Homeschooling.
Not anymore.
Probably edumucated in a public screwl.
Not these days, when your kid could take a bullet walking to the bus stop.
Why would anyone willingly move to Baltimore??
Must be a hellava good job.
If my parents had known to homeschool me half a century ago....phil donohue wpuld not have been in my tv history and I would be much happier sooner after throwing that crap baggage off.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Well in a roundabout way it’s true. You take a look at a public school and one proceeds from there to home school once the shock is over.
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