# Homeschooling



## tabbidawn15 (Feb 22, 2013)

Can anyone point me in the right direction?
I'm looking for a list of set rules/ guidelines one has to meet in order to homeschool their children in Florida. I have no children yet but I know when I do that I want to homeschool them. There is no way I could comfortably send my children to public school with the way things are going lately and I doubt I could afford to send my children to a private school.
Also, my sister has a little boy who is almost two. She has asked me if I would be willing to homeschool him as she isn't comfortable taking on that kind of responsibility (she also works full time). So, even if I don't have kids of my own for some time I may be doing it anyways.
Also, out of curiosity, does anyone have any thought regarding the Charlotte Mason Method of homeschooling?


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

HSLDA.org is your friend. lol. http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Florida.pdf


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## foaly (Jan 14, 2008)

I agree with Ohio Dreamer. HSLDA has the info you need. Also, $10 a month for membership is an absolute necessity IMO.

I think Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education is good if the child(ren) you are teaching enjoy reading. I've struggled with pulling my sons (14 & 12) away from standard textbook curriculum to more CM learning. They consider it sheer torture to have to read. However, they are receptive to the short lesson times that CM suggested.

A really good CM curriculum website is www.amblesideonline.org.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Just chiming in on this to say that you do not need to pay HSLDA to homeschool your kids and/or appropriately understand the educational requirements set forth by your state.

It is your right to homeschool your kids; and frankly, it's not really that hard to manage the paperwork end of it. 

I know that HSLDA provides additional resources, and if you want them, you should definitely feel free to obtain a membership. I just wanted to point out that it's not necessary, nor is it hard to navigate the world of homeschooling without paying an outside organization.

I don't know anyone who belongs to any homeschool member organization.

Certainly it is premature for you to start paying anyone for anything! Lots of information on the internet for free!


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## CFarmerLady (Dec 1, 2011)

HSLDA is for protection from over zealous CPS people and noisy annoying neighbors. :grin:


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## hsmom2four (Oct 13, 2008)

Also check out FPEA. www.fpea.com 

I think you will find what you're looking for there.


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## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

I've been homeschooling for 10 years and have never been a member of HSLDA, however we live in a friendly homeschool state. Not all are so friendly. I would try & find others in your area. The Well Trained Mind has a pretty good forum to join. Just do a search.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

I'm in my 16th year of homeschooling and I don't regret a minute of it!!

HSLDA is not a necessity but let me tell you, most school districts will give you a hard time at some point in your homeschooling life and they are worth their weight in textbooks when that happens!


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Really, there's nothing HSLDA is going to do that you can't do for yourself. (Unless you're some really unusual case).
However, I _do_ understand that a lot of people immediately go into a panic mode if anything legalistic gets mentioned. So having someone to hold your hand _can_ be extremely valuable if you're one of these people. 

But I agree with offthegrid that no one should join before they even have children.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Annsni said:


> HSLDA is not a necessity but let me tell you, most school districts will give you a hard time at some point in your homeschooling life and they are worth their weight in textbooks when that happens!


I've only been homeschooling for 5 years but I disagree with this. I have never had any trouble, nor do I know anyone that has had *trouble* with their districts, and some of my friends have kids going into senior year of HS as homeschoolers.

NY is not known as a "homeschool friendly" state; you just have to follow the regs. On occasion there is a district employee here or there that asks for more than they have a legal right to get, but in general I think most districts would like to ignore homeschoolers if they provide at least the minimum paperwork - we are "more work and nothing gained" for most districts. 

From my observations - the most likely families to get a "hard time" from the districts are those that have had a difficult relationship with their district while their children were enrolled in school (deserved or not), or those that don't submit reports in one way or another (sometimes because they disagree with the state regs). If you don't fall into either of these categories, chances are you will have no trouble with your district if you know the state regs and follow them.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

offthegrid said:


> I've only been homeschooling for 5 years but I disagree with this. I have never had any trouble, nor do I know anyone that has had *trouble* with their districts, and some of my friends have kids going into senior year of HS as homeschoolers.
> 
> NY is not known as a "homeschool friendly" state; you just have to follow the regs. On occasion there is a district employee here or there that asks for more than they have a legal right to get, but in general I think most districts would like to ignore homeschoolers if they provide at least the minimum paperwork - we are "more work and nothing gained" for most districts.
> 
> From my observations - the most likely families to get a "hard time" from the districts are those that have had a difficult relationship with their district while their children were enrolled in school (deserved or not), or those that don't submit reports in one way or another (sometimes because they disagree with the state regs). If you don't fall into either of these categories, chances are you will have no trouble with your district if you know the state regs and follow them.


See, we've seen issues with districts that had absolutely no reason to. Right now, Kings Park is trying to get homeschoolers to register with the school - to create an ID number for them. HSLDA is currently involved. Levittown (if I remember correctly) called CPS on all of the homeschoolers in the district. HSLDA got involved and when CPS realized what was happening, they stopped the investigations. Northport included in the packet when you sent your letter of intent a form that you were to fill out stating the teacher's qualifications for schooling their children. HSLDA was notified and a letter was sent to the district. Smithtown had an issue going after many homeschoolers - because they never notified anyone that the person to send the paperwork to had changed and after 3 years of having NO paperwork (because they would just throw out the reports), they went after the homeschoolers who easily sent the past 3 years' paperwork in and HSLDA sent a letter as well.

When you've been homeschooling for only 5 years, you are probably not homeschooling long enough to see this kind of thing happen but when you've been homeschooling for 16 years and running support groups through that time, you learn about MANY issues with districts. It happens more than many realize.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Annsni said:


> See, we've seen issues with districts that had absolutely no reason to. Right now, Kings Park is trying to get homeschoolers to register with the school - to create an ID number for them. HSLDA is currently involved. Levittown (if I remember correctly) called CPS on all of the homeschoolers in the district. HSLDA got involved and when CPS realized what was happening, they stopped the investigations. Northport included in the packet when you sent your letter of intent a form that you were to fill out stating the teacher's qualifications for schooling their children. HSLDA was notified and a letter was sent to the district. Smithtown had an issue going after many homeschoolers - because they never notified anyone that the person to send the paperwork to had changed and after 3 years of having NO paperwork (because they would just throw out the reports), they went after the homeschoolers who easily sent the past 3 years' paperwork in and HSLDA sent a letter as well.
> 
> When you've been homeschooling for only 5 years, you are probably not homeschooling long enough to see this kind of thing happen but when you've been homeschooling for 16 years and running support groups through that time, you learn about MANY issues with districts. It happens more than many realize.


Maybe we haven't been at it long enough to see many problems, but as I said, many of my friends have homeschooled for 10+ years without problems.

Hmmm... I was just going to write that perhaps we don't have issues because NY regs are pretty clear, but maybe you are also in NY?

Since the districts must acknowledge your letter of intent AND your IHIP every year, I don't see how anyone can be homeschooling for 3 years without at least some paperwork to show that the district approved your instructional plan. If you DON'T get a letter, then it is the job of the parent to follow up, to ensure compliance. I realize that new homeschooling families might not realize this, but it is very explicit in the regs. 

Lots of districts ask for things that aren't required, but it's not necessary for HSLDA to step in. Are these things being discussed/looked into by NYHEN? Because they will often step in for free if districts get off track - and/or get in touch with SED.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

offthegrid said:


> Maybe we haven't been at it long enough to see many problems, but as I said, many of my friends have homeschooled for 10+ years without problems.
> 
> Hmmm... I was just going to write that perhaps we don't have issues because NY regs are pretty clear, but maybe you are also in NY?
> 
> ...


Yep - I'm on Long Island.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Annsni said:


> Yep - I'm on Long Island.


So, is NYHEN involved at all? 

I don't know much about HSLDA except that they are considered to be controversial by many people. I am sure they provide support and guidance to homeschooling families, and certainly this is worthwhile to many people.

However, I think that *most* homeschooling families (and I know quite a lot of families) navigate the system very well without paying for legal support. The regulations in NY are really quite clear, and if you tow the line and submit your paperwork as required, it isn't an issue for most people.

In general, I would advise new homeschooling families to find a local resource - if at all possible - before anything else. In my area, there are a number of Yahoo and Facebook groups - statewide and local, as well as local "meet and greets" for new homeschooling families. Not only do you get advice on satisfying the regulations, but you get to know real people who can help you in many other ways aside from the possibility of a rogue school district.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

offthegrid said:


> So, is NYHEN involved at all?
> 
> I don't know much about HSLDA except that they are considered to be controversial by many people. I am sure they provide support and guidance to homeschooling families, and certainly this is worthwhile to many people.
> 
> ...


The blessing of HSLDA is that, should you need them, they are free. I figure that paying a small fee each year to keep homeschooling as "free" as possible is well worth it even if I never need their resources. 

As for NYHEN, I don't know of any homeschooler around here who participates with them.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Annsni said:


> The blessing of HSLDA is that, should you need them, they are free. I figure that paying a small fee each year to keep homeschooling as "free" as possible is well worth it even if I never need their resources.
> 
> As for NYHEN, I don't know of any homeschooler around here who participates with them.


NYHEN isn't a service; it is simply a website & listserve that offers resources - mainly interpreting the regs, answering questions and giving advice (for free) on dealing with school districts. However, their experts often offer to reach out to school districts and/or SED when they are misreading the regs.

http://nyhen.org/


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

I college in MA. denied my son access because they said they don't recognize home schooling as a legitimate form of education, and demanded he take a GED.

When I (a 10 year, paying member) sought HSLDA help, it took them OVER two weeks......to issue a 'letter'. Not even a 'strongly worded letter'.......just a letter.

The school ultimately denied him access by saying he did not finish the 'application process'. 

I was VERY disappointed in the response HSLDA put forth.
HOWEVER, their website does provide what the laws are for each state.
It provides contact information on how to get in touch with homeschool co-ops and groups in your area.
It provides the dates and locations of each states Annual Home School Convention (which IN is worth it's weight in gold.....huge and helpful)


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

ErinP said:


> Really, there's nothing HSLDA is going to do that you can't do for yourself. (Unless you're some really unusual case).
> However, I _do_ understand that a lot of people immediately go into a panic mode if anything legalistic gets mentioned. So having someone to hold your hand _can_ be extremely valuable if you're one of these people.
> 
> But I agree with offthegrid that no one should join before they even have children.


I agree that without children you should forgo this expense. =0) 

However, there are things that HSLDA do that individuals cannot. First of all, they routinely step in when a school district threatens action against homeschoolers for not complying with new regulations that the school districts are not legally allowed to make in the first place. Without the HSLDA stepping in, the police often assume that the school district has the right to do what it is doing because they are an "official" org. and they say so. Police don't know homeschool laws. But a letter or phonecall from HSLDA can make it all go away.

Second of all, they are up on capital hill lobbying for laws that are friendly to homeschoolers, and they are also watching state legislatures to make sure new and unfair regulations against homeschoolers are not quietly slipped into other bills. When those things happen, they start a phone campaign to local legislators that only works because of the strength of their numbers. It has happened in WA state at least once this year. 

Thirdly, they are fighting for the rights of parents to homeschool their children internationally and have been successful in some places, less successful in others.

Those are 3 things that I can't do for myself. =0) That said, they do tend to lobby toward conservative politics and they will not be very helpful to you if you are an unschooler in a state that has laws about what you should teach. So it's not something everybody can support politically, I understand that. However, having been in on this homeschooling thing since 1998 (when hs has only been legal in all 50 states since 1993) I can tell you none of us would be having this conversation if HSLDA had not existed. All of our kids would be required to be in school. 

K. FWIW,
Cindyc. (who doesn't mean to be argumentative. Just offering a different perspective).


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Laura Zone 5 said:


> I college in MA. denied my son access because they said they don't recognize home schooling as a legitimate form of education, and demanded he take a GED.
> 
> When I (a 10 year, paying member) sought HSLDA help, it took them OVER two weeks......to issue a 'letter'. Not even a 'strongly worded letter'.......just a letter.
> 
> ...


That must have been a long time ago. Even ivy league schools have official policies on homeschooled students now. We are in the middle of the college search process for 3 kids we get literally hundreds of peices of mail from different colleges trying to recruit them. No GED required. i am sorry you went through this. It is much easier now!


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

cindy-e said:


> I agree that without children you should forgo this expense. =0)
> 
> However, there are things that HSLDA do that individuals cannot. First of all, they routinely step in when a school district threatens action against homeschoolers for not complying with new regulations that the school districts are not legally allowed to make in the first place. Without the HSLDA stepping in, the police often assume that the school district has the right to do what it is doing because they are an "official" org. and they say so. Police don't know homeschool laws. But a letter or phonecall from HSLDA can make it all go away.
> 
> ...


Agreed. It's also great to get a call from the school district about an issue and say "How about I have you speak to my attorney? He will be glad to discuss this with you. Can I have your name and the number that he can call you?" They respect that. They don't respect parents.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

Annsni said:


> Agreed. It's also great to get a call from the school district about an issue and say "How about I have you speak to my attorney? He will be glad to discuss this with you. Can I have your name and the number that he can call you?" They respect that. They don't respect parents.


I am also not trying to be argumentative. Only that I am not aware of a single case in my area where a lawyer had to be brought in, except in one instance where the family deliberately refused to report, because they disagreed with the concept of the state regs.

For a new homeschooling family, and/or someone simply considering homeschooling, it is definitely not necessary to start paying any organization, particularly one that has specific political tendencies and particular rules, before you know what you are doing and why they might be needed. 

In NY, NYHEN.org also tracks legislation and has a list of attorneys that are knowledgeable about homeschooling, if ever you needed one. And they do these things for free. Your state may also have a homeschool resource that is similar, and may answer many of your questions.

So, do your research and see what organizations are in your area/state before you decide that you need to pay for services. 

Here's a list; if you can find one in your area you can ask about other resources that might not be listed here:

http://www.home-school.com/groups/FL.html


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## hsmom2four (Oct 13, 2008)

To the OP I just wanted to say again since you are in Florida 
check out the Florida Parent Educators Assn website that I posted earlier. www.fpea.com You should find all the info you are looking for about home schooling in FL. I've been home schooling for 12 years and have my second oldest dd graduating this year. FL is a very easy state to home school in. As to you home schooling your relatives--you can't legally hs kids that you don't have custody of but the parents can still register their own kids and you can teach them sort of off the record.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

cindy-e said:


> That must have been a long time ago. Even ivy league schools have official policies on homeschooled students now. We are in the middle of the college search process for 3 kids we get literally hundreds of peices of mail from different colleges trying to recruit them. No GED required. i am sorry you went through this. It is much easier now!


August 2012.
And he WAS recruited by the head coach, an NCAA team.
But the admissions nazi would not recognize his home education as legitimate, and demanded a GED.

This is the ONLY school our of the oodles he applied too, and was accepted too.
But HSLDA was very unimpressive in the way they handled this situation.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

That's because they're too busy blowing peoples' membership dollars fighting international affairs... 



> First of all, they routinely step in when a school district threatens action against homeschoolers for not complying with new regulations that the school districts are not legally allowed to make in the first place. Without the HSLDA stepping in, the police often assume that the school district has the right to do what it is doing because they are an "official" org. and they say so. Police don't know homeschool laws. But a letter or phonecall from HSLDA can make it all go away.


This is my point, actually.
All the homeschooling family has to do is pull up the relevant statutes and send them to the PD, same as what HSLDA would do, and accomplish the same purpose. Just because it's on legal stationary doesn't mean it's more official and most LEOs know that.
But again, I do understand that some people get all frazzled when they smell any whiff of potential legal trouble, so having an organization to hold their hand can be very valuable. 

And I will agree that they are to our benefit, mostly, with lobbying. However, it bothers me to hear people think they _need_ to belong to HSLDA for legal protection when it's extremely unlikely HSLDA would do anything for them that they couldn't do themselves.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

ErinP said:


> That's because they're too busy blowing peoples' membership dollars fighting international affairs...


Which has long term ramifications for homeschoolers in this country. If this is not a right, then homeschooling could eventually be outlawed. 




> This is my point, actually.
> All the homeschooling family has to do is pull up the relevant statutes and send them to the PD, same as what HSLDA would do, and accomplish the same purpose. Just because it's on legal stationary doesn't mean it's more official and most LEOs know that.


I have seen school districts be downright bullies. Kings Park was recently one of them. Threatening the homeschool family if they didn't register their child with the district (not just follow the law but submit further information that is not required by the law), sending official registered letters with threats in them - even though this parent was a 16 year veteran homeschooler and she was not backing down. She was fully compliant with the law through all these years yet the district was still being threatening. But one letter from an attorney and it stopped. THAT is the usefulness of HSLDA.




> But again, I do understand that some people get all frazzled when they smell any whiff of potential legal trouble, so having an organization to hold their hand can be very valuable.
> 
> And I will agree that they are to our benefit, mostly, with lobbying. However, it bothers me to hear people think they _need_ to belong to HSLDA for legal protection when it's extremely unlikely HSLDA would do anything for them that they couldn't do themselves.


I certainly couldn't represent myself in court and I certainly have no power against the bully districts even when I am in the right. Yes, I would take any first steps myself but I could list countless cases where a parent just did not have the ability to stop an attack from the authorities without their lawyer - even to the point of having the police at their door and they were able to hand the phone to the LEO with an HSLDA lawyer on the other line.

No, it is not necessary to join HSLDA but I'm grateful they are there and that, should I need them, they are available to me and that even if I never use them, they have fought the good fight for homeschoolers around the country and even the world.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

ErinP said:


> That's because they're too busy blowing peoples' membership dollars fighting international affairs...





Annsni said:


> Which has long term ramifications for homeschoolers in this country. If this is not a right, then homeschooling could eventually be outlawed.


That's a little bit of a stretch, I think. Whether or not other countries allow homeschooling is very unlikely result in homeschooling becoming illegal in the U.S. after 20+ years of being legal.

I have no objection to people spending their money to further homeschooling initiatives and provide protection to familes around the world; it's just important that they realize where their money is going. If you think that is important to you, then go for it!

As far as getting a letter from HSLDA to the district - you can get a letter from a lot of education lawyers that would do exactly the same thing; and it might be less expensive than your HSLDA membership; certainly it would be less expensive than 12 years of membership. They are not the only educational experts out there; and in fact, I would argue that they may not be very expert about the regs in any one state. 

Again, if it gives people peace of mind, that's fine - it's your money. I think it's important, however, to let new homeschooling families understand that it is not necessary, especially before you know what protection you might even need. And that many, many families navigate the system just fine without paying anyone.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

offthegrid said:


> That's a little bit of a stretch, I think. Whether or not other countries allow homeschooling is very unlikely result in homeschooling becoming illegal in the U.S. after 20+ years of being legal
> 
> 
> > Actually, there was a recent case about a german immigrant family who was here legally. They were sent packing. How that happened? the lawyers for the US government successfully argued that "the right to homeschool your kids is not a fundamental parental right according to our constitution". If you don't think that this ruling, if not challenged by HSLDA and others, will have profound rammifications for homeschoolers here, you are fooling yourself. It very much does. International law and it's relationship to our laws has a profound impact on our country every day. See the UN rights of the Child for further examples of this. there are some international laws and treaties that supercede american law in international politics. We live in a global marketplace now, like it or not. We are way past the ability to be an island unto our selves, and international law in enducation, economics, etc... will have influence and impact here in ever increasing measure as that global markets reality continues to dawn. In short, the HSLDA is lobbying in other countries for very good reason. Global markets mean more jobs shifts to other countries, and if those countries do not recognize our homeschooler's education as valid, those jobs are not available for our kids. There are lots of very good reasons for those international lobbies that are about American Politics and American parental interests.
> ...


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

cindy-e said:


> offthegrid said:
> 
> 
> > That's a little bit of a stretch, I think. Whether or not other countries allow homeschooling is very unlikely result in homeschooling becoming illegal in the U.S. after 20+ years of being legal
> ...


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

More importantly, the way I understand it, the family didn't actually _seek_ asylum. HSLDA approached _them_, to essentially try this as a test case.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

ErinP said:


> More importantly, the way I understand it, the family didn't actually _seek_ asylum. HSLDA approached _them_, to essentially try this as a test case.


Well, if that's true, no wonder they are working so hard to try to overturn the ruling. Woops.


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