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Although we will be starting our 11th year (GULP) of homeschooling in a few weeks, I am always eager to share ideas, support, etc. with other homeschoolers.
Also - our oldest son will be entering his second year of college this fall; however, we are still homeschooling our other two sons -ages 15 and 10.
Looking forward to participating...
I'm interested to know what the different HS laws are, how y'all deal with them, how restricitive are they?
I'll start with NC. We have to register initially with the state Dept of Non-Public Education. We have to elect to educate either as a religious or non-religious school. At the beginning of each term, the DNPE asks us to return a card stating the ages of children we're homeschooling. Notification ends at the age of 16.
We have to keep attendance logs (required to have 180 days of instruction) and test once a year. We're allowed to test our own children. We use the CAT5 and alternate with Hewitt Research.
We have two options for inspection: by mail (mail in test results and attendance logs) or by personal home inspection. Guess which one we opt for.
NC has about 21,000 registered homeschools, 70% religious and 30% non-religious. There are 33,800 students bet 7 and 16 with 52% boys to 48% girls. The state pretty much leaves us alone except for the local district that keeps wanting us to enroll with the health education program. Pffftt!
We are awaiting the ruling from the NC Supreme Court regarding the little girl who ran out naked chasing after her cat that initiated a DSS visit that the parents resisted. The judges and lower courts have declared that social workers are NOT actors of the state and therefore not subject to the 4th and 14th Amendments. GAH! Idiots.
I am sure Home Schooling information is available on the net..........
Also, 4H clubs are wonderful for kids to belong to a group that might provide a fun way for kids to inter-act with others with similar interests.
Perhaps a note to your neighbors might bring forth a parent who has travelled extensively on business and would be willing to share some experiences in foreign countries.
This is going to be FUN!!!
Our homeschooling approach has been pretty eclectic, as we have never followed any one curriculum and have never been deeply involved with any homeschooling support groups (most of the homeschoolers in our area being staunch leftists). But we've gotten two of our three boys (ages 10, 7, 3) to read and do math above grade level. We expose them to as wide a variety of science, literature, and history/civics as we are able. And the pastor of the church we'll be attending after our relocation is a homeschooler, as are several of the parishoners.
We've also tried to draw on our being a bi-racial couple with different backgrounds and interests in a positive way, for instance one weekend caring for our horses and tromping around the New Hampshire woods and the next weekend visiting their grandmother in Newark and taking a trip to the Museum of Natural History in NYC. The boys also are getting lessons in small business economics by helping with our home-based online sales business. Never a dull moment in the world of homeschooling!
Federal Court Holds Social Worker Bound by Fourth AmendmentHEAR THAT, NC SUPREME COURT?????????In an important victory for parents faced with groundless social worker investigations, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas has ruled that social workers are constrained by the Fourth Amendment when conducting abuse or neglect investigations. The federal court decision is binding in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Mary and John Roe sued Texas social worker Beverly Strickland after she came into their home and strip-searched their daughter, Jackie. The social worker was responding to an anonymous tip making non-emergency allegations. She found no evidence of abuse or neglect.
As reported on our website, a lower court (Federal District Court) ruling held that the law in such instances was clearly established; the Fourth Amendment applies to social services investigations and this worker should have known that the search violated the family's rights.
On July 17, 2002, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the social worker's claim that their investigations are not bound by the Fourth Amendment. Before entering a home or strip searching a child, social workers, like police officers, must have a warrant based on probable cause, consent, or there must be an immediate threat to life or limb.
Please let me know if you want on or off this list.