Posted on 05/24/2016 3:31:33 PM PDT by Sopater
Homeschool families in Clinton County, Kentucky, were surprised to see themselves mentioned in their local paper as a topic of discussion during the recent school board meeting. On May 18, the Clinton County News reported that local school officials intend to conduct random audits of area homeschool families this summer because they want to “ensure that all children in our county are getting a rigorous and effective education.”
Home School Legal Defense Association opposes any such audits as unconstitutional. We are also troubled by what appears to be the underlying motivation for this proposed meddling by school officials: money.
During the school board meeting the district did acknowledge the constitutional right of parents to teach their children at home. But they said they intend to audit homeschool programs to “ensure that all children in Clinton County have access to the best education possible.”
It appears that this scrutiny of homeschool programs in Clinton County is driven by two factors. According to the district, Clinton County has seen a 10–15 percent increase in homeschooling over the past few years. Dr. Julie York, the district’s director of pupil personnel (DPP), indicated that she believes this trend will continue and that “it is still the school district’s responsibility to make sure that the student is educated.”
Lost Revenue
The district’s finance director, Mike Reeves, also spoke at the May 8 school board meeting and estimated that the district will lose almost $300,00 in Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding. (Given that there are approximately 85 homeschool students in Clinton County, HSLDA estimates that the actual amount of SEEK funds that the district will not receive would be closer to $435,000.) While Kentucky spends approximately $9,316 per pupil from federal, state, and local funds, the Kentucky Department of Education estimates that Clinton County’s SEEK funds will be $5,118 per pupil for the 2016–2017 school year.
It is obvious that Clinton County sees the increase of homeschoolers as taking money away from the district, and this is likely a significant reason in officials’ desire to increase scrutiny of homeschool families. Interestingly, the Clinton County News reported that Dr. York “noted that there was something of a misnomer in that the funds that are received from the state are, in turn, spent on students.”
As soon as we learned of the article and the school board meeting, HSLDA Staff Attorney Tj Schmidt notified homeschool leaders and groups across the state.
A Challenging Law
Schmidt also wrote a letter to Dr. York pointing out that many years ago the Kentucky Directors of Pupil Personnel (KDPP) and several statewide homeschool leaders, including Christian Home Educators of Kentucky (CHEK), acknowledged the challenges of applying Kentucky law to individual homeschool families.
In Kentucky, parents who teach their child at home are operating a private school. As such, they are required to provide instruction in various subjects for at least 1,062 hours over a minimum of 170 days each school term. Parents also maintain attendance and scholarship records (i.e. report cards) for each child.
Under the Best Practices Document drawn up by the KDPP and homeschool leaders, as long as parents provide their notice that they are operating a private homeschool program within the first two weeks of the beginning of each school year (generally by the second week of August), they are presumed to be operating a bona fide school. No records should be demanded unless the school district has evidence that parents are not educating their children.
Schmidt reminded Dr. York of this state policy and pointed out that school officials cannot simply show up at a homeschool family’s home and demand records as they might of a more traditional private school. We hope that Clinton County will respect the Best Practices Document and will drop their intent to randomly audit homeschool families in the county.
Corrections welcome, but not only is there is no constitutionally enumerated right for parents to home-school their children, there’s no such right to schooling either.
So the local audits on home-schooling parents are another example of constitutionally unchecked 10th Amendment-protected state powers imo.
Voters can resolve the issue with their 10th Amendment-protected voting power. But bear in mind that low-information voters are arguably their own worst enemies in such matters.
Home-schooling “rights” are probably going to remain a loose-cannon issue with activist judges on both sides of the fence fighting each other until the much-neglected Constitution is appropriately amended or voters get their act together.
Again, corrections, insights welcome.
There should be random audits of school children period.
Maybe they could learn something.
I’m only talking about people and organizations who come under the beady eye of the IRS. It’s hard to escape. I would have thought conservatives knew that by now.
"One minor adverse effect on school districts may be financial, as the state, through SEEK funding, funds districts on a per student basis. During last week’s work session, Finance Director Mike Reeves estimated the district may lose almost $300,000 in SEEK funding–compared to the approximate number of students in home school as opposed to being in the school system."
And there you have it. That's a good size raise for a few district top dogs
If the leftests aren't stopped, it won't be long before homeschooling gets outlawed. Need to get those little ones indoctrinated.
There is at least one company that sells hours by the month in legal services. We’ve belonged to it and have paid in for years. Now, we have oodles of time we can use.
Protection.
We can’t afford to pay a retainer to a lawyer.
Oh.
You pay +/- $50-75/month. The time adds up.
How dare those pesky home schooled kids whup ars on the gubmint indoctrinated chilun at those spelling bees every year. Makes the union goons look bad!
Public School is Child Abuse.
“As such, they are required to provide instruction in various subjects for at least 1,062 hours over a minimum of 170 days each school term.”
When will public schools be required to provide 1,062 hours of actual *instruction* per school term?
The average non-special-needs student is unlikely to receive even 1/4 of that much “instruction” in a term.
The focus should be on measuring *outputs* (skills and knowledge gained) vs. *inputs* (time spent sitting at a desk, money spent per pupil, etc.). Of course, the public-schooling establishment dreads being held accountable for actual results achieved.
1,062 hours/170 days = 6.2 hours/day.
My home schooling friends tell me their kids complete the daily material in 3-4 hours each day.
Tell them you’ll be in Europe this summer.
I would hope that the majority of home schooling parents were doing so because the children learned better and adjusted better in a good solid home school program that they themselves conceived of. I would like to see the school district get the funds for home schooled children, provided that they are used exclusively for academic expenses, up to and including reimbursing the parents for education material, special subject tutors and homeschooling events like coop museum visits and sports activity not run under the auspices of the actual school itself.
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Homeschool families in Clinton County, Kentucky, were surprised to see themselves mentioned in their local paper as a topic of discussion during the recent school board meeting. On May 18, the Clinton County News reported that local school officials intend to conduct random audits of area homeschool families this summer because they want to “ensure that all children in our county are getting a rigorous and effective education.”
I hope they are applying that standard to themselves as well.
That is true. Have homeschooling friends and they finish in less than 4 hours a day which leaves time for science trips, gardening, learning skills, sports, etc. and they still exceed on the required state tests.
Random?
“One reason we need more homeschool parents running for school board.”
True, but also a reason why homeschoolers should NEVER let others know what they’re doing, if at all possible. Simply tell your (nosy) neighbors that your kids are in a PRIVATE school, and stop there. There’s nothing to be gained by telling mainstream Americans you’re homeschooling...simply because they are unable to comprehend why you might be doing it.
Kentuckians are the lucky ‘uns imo.
I was homeschooled in the totalitarian state of PA.
I recommend membership in HSLDA, though my parents never needed it. They had other ways of getting pests to back off. And there were some pests.
“it is still the school district’s responsibility to make sure that the student is .....
INDOCTRINATED!”
And there you have it. That's a good size raise for a few district top dogs
Absolutely, it's the money. ONLY the money.
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