Replies

I know of 4 different children who have gone to homeschooling as an option after being expelled from the county school system in which I teach, one this year. Our county does have an alternative program, but as of last year, it is for high schoolers only and I am in a middle school. If a student is expelled and has an IEP, the county must provide instruction on a 'homebound' basis. Homebound is not homeschooled. The county provides a teacher for 3 - 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. Without this IEP protection, the family must go to a private school or a neighboring county and pay their out-of-county tuition, or of course, move in with a relative.

The reason you may not have run into this type of family is that they do not go into homeschooling willingly, but as a last resort. The ones that I know personally are being homeschooled in the very loosest sense of the word, and would be unlikely to be members of a homeschooling group. These types of kids generally return to the school system after their 1 year out.

I can't really say if it is a wide-spread practice. I work in a school with about 500 kids and maybe 1 gets expelled every 2 - 3 years. Our county is rural and small. I know that in a large county such as Fairfax, VA there are several alternative schools for middle schoolers and for those without IEP's.

If I find any published data on how many have gone from public schooling to homeschooling as a result of expulsion,, I'll send you a link.

BTW, I read some of the comments on your article. You make great arguments for homeschooling without resorting to name-calling or innuendos, something I notice others on that board used in comments to you. Embarrassing. Every kid and every family has individual needs. It is not up to me to say "your child should..." or "you should..." You are a reasonable adult, and obviously intelligent. Your choices are going to be right for you and I respect your decisions.