Temporary Move-Can I meet new hs rules?

[rlowetx]

I'm having an ethical dilemma..We currently live in Texas, where the hs rules are very easy. I have currently accepted a part-time gig in MA requiring us to do a temp move (about 9 mos) to MA...Problem is, everyone up there has told me how hard it is to homeschool.. you have to register with the school, they have to approve the curriculum and the teacher has to be a certified teacher..

Now, I am not a certified teacher, I have an eclectic (at least to a ps mentality) curriculum, and were not going to become permanent residents.. we are keeping our place in Houston and are Texas residents..G- CANT go to school next year, so I don't want to find out they don't approve it and he's got to go to school...because truth is, if they don't approve it, I wouldn't stay there.. Do I try to go through the system, or just lay low and make sure we don't do fieldtrips during school hours?

 

WWYD?

Edited September 18, 2009 by rlowetx

[chiguirre]

If you're going to be near Boston, think about living in NH instead. Lots of people commute and the hs laws are easier.

[Pongo]

I'm having an ethical dilemma..We currently live in Texas, where the hs rules are very easy. I have currently accepted a part-time gig in MA requiring us to do a temp move (about 9 mos) to MA...Problem is, everyone up there has told me how hard it is to homeschool.. you have to register with the school, they have to approve the curriculum and the teacher has to be a certified teacher.QUOTE]

 

I must live in an easy district. I submit a LOI(letter of Intent) You can pick ONE of the following, standardize test, portfolio, progress report, and report card. I check off testing. I submit my LOI for the following year with the testing results. I have never had a problem, I have home schooled in MA for 6 years, I have never heard of anyone having problems. What part of MA?

[Orthodox6]

I can't see going underground. If the MA laws have requirements that your family cannot meet, then outside schooling of some sort appears to be what you must do. I guess I would contact whatever is the "authority" in the community where you have the temporary job, and ask about a waiver for your family because you are not moving there permanently.

 

What a stinker of a situation, though !

 

Did you read the summary of MA law, posted on the HSLDA website ?

http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Massachusetts.pdf

 

According to that document, there is NO requirement that you be a "certified teacher." Did your information come from somebody who really knew the facts ?

 

I'm having an ethical dilemma..We currently live in Texas, where the hs rules are very easy. I have currently accepted a part-time gig in MA requiring us to do a temp move (about 9 mos) to MA...Problem is, everyone up there has told me how hard it is to homeschool.. you have to register with the school, they have to approve the curriculum and the teacher has to be a certified teacher..

Now, I am not a certified teacher, I have an eclectic (at least to a ps mentality) curriculum, and were not going to become permanent residents.. we are keeping our place in Houston and are Texas residents..G- CANT go to school next year, so I don't want to find out they don't approve it and he's got to go to school...because truth is, if they don't approve it, I wouldn't stay there.. Do I try to go through the system, or just lay low and make sure we don't do fieldtrips during school hours?

 

WWYD?

[rlowetx]

I must live in an easy district. I submit a LOI(letter of Intent) You can pick ONE of the following, standardize test, portfolio, progress report, and report card. I check off testing. I submit my LOI for the following year with the testing results. I have never had a problem, I have home schooled in MA for 6 years, I have never heard of anyone having problems. What part of MA?

 

I'm moving to Boston/Summerville/Brookline/Waltham area.. haven't found a house yet.. If that is all there is to it, we can do that...We have to do a LOI here in Texas, but no testing.. G- would like to be tested frankly and I'd love to give them my portfolio (rofl)..

The people telling me this are not hsers, but people in the community who feel the need to tell me these things when I mention G is homeschooled (due to the ever popular question - so is he going to public or private school?)..

[peace]

The MA laws aren't all that complicated, it's more of a hassle than anything else. You just fill out a LOI and agree to a form of evaluation (progress report, portfolio, or testing) with the school district you reside in and leave it at that. The law clearly outlines what is allowed and what isn't... they can't deny you your right to homeschool your child.

 

Seeing that it's just temporary and you'll still be residents of Texas I wouldn't even bother contacting the school district where you'll be living in MA.

[Pongo]

I'm moving to Boston/Summerville/Brookline/Waltham area.. haven't found a house yet.. If that is all there is to it, we can do that...We have to do a LOI here in Texas, but no testing.. G- would like to be tested frankly and I'd love to give them my portfolio (rofl)..

The people telling me this are not hsers, but people in the community who feel the need to tell me these things when I mention G is home schooled (due to the ever popular question - so is he going to public or private school?)..

 

Great area, so many resources at your fingertips. Be sure to look into the home school classes at MIT, Lego rally cars, underwater robotics, gliders. If your looking for more, a few we really enjoy

:)

Clara Barton Museum

American Textile History Museum

Boston Museum of Science

Federal Reserve

House of the Seven Gables

Massachusetts Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center

Edgerton Center

New England Aquarium

Old North Church

Paul Revere House

Plimoth Plantation

Salem Witch Museum

Salem Witch Dungeon

Salem Witch House

Thornton Burgess Museum: Green Briar Nature Center

Edited September 18, 2009 by Pongo

[eternalknot]

If it were less than a year, or schoolyear for that matter, I probably wouldn't register with the homeschool board. Especially if I wasn't doing anything else to establish legal residency (setting up bank account, getting driver's license versus state ID, paying state income tax, buying property, etc.) - to me it would be no different than taking my kids on an extended RV-trip around the continent, or something along those lines.

 

I'd definitely check with one of those homeschool action groups or whatever, though, for further advice.

 

I live in Texas; we have no required LOI.

[KidsHappen]

We have to do a LOI here in Texas, but no testing

 

TX does not require LOI. Check the laws there.

[JudoMom]

If it were less than a year, or schoolyear for that matter, I probably wouldn't register with the homeschool board. Especially if I wasn't doing anything else to establish legal residency (setting up bank account, getting driver's license versus state ID, paying state income tax, buying property, etc.) - to me it would be no different than taking my kids on an extended RV-trip around the continent, or something along those lines.

 

I'd definitely check with one of those homeschool action groups or whatever, though, for further advice.

 

I live in Texas; we have no required LOI.

 

:iagree:

[Snickerdoodle]

If it were less than a year, or schoolyear for that matter, I probably wouldn't register with the homeschool board. Especially if I wasn't doing anything else to establish legal residency

 

:iagree:

[Orthodox6]

Absolutely NO requirement for a "LOI" in Texas. Sometimes a school district, ignorant of the laws, claims that one is required.

 

TX does not require LOI. Check the laws there.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I submit a LOI(letter of Intent) to the Admin bldg.

It includes name, date, address and grade of my kids. NOT phone #, NOT age.

Some other things too, use the AHEM link below.

A separate page where I list my curriculum choices.

Pick written progress report as my method of recording progress and in my district, send them in Jan and June.

I do test my kids but have never reported it, none of their business. :)

Only had a problem once with some desk weenie and went over her head.

I used this site heavily for help.

I am very eclectic in our curriculum.

[LMA]

If it were less than a year, or schoolyear for that matter, I probably wouldn't register with the homeschool board. Especially if I wasn't doing anything else to establish legal residency (setting up bank account, getting driver's license versus state ID, paying state income tax, buying property, etc.) - to me it would be no different than taking my kids on an extended RV-trip around the continent, or something along those lines.

 

I'd definitely check with one of those homeschool action groups or whatever, though, for further advice.

 

I live in Texas; we have no required LOI.

 

MA can be difficult if you live in a difficult district. It only takes a change in staff or one nosy person or a mean school committee to make your life miserable. Therefore, I would never tell anyone that it is easy to homeschool here because of the amount of stuff required to be sent in (4 different areas that you must address). If you do not sent the stuff in to the school district's satisfaction (even if you legally met the requirements), your life can be miserable. The difficulty of homeschooling depends on the dynamics of your district.

 

To the OP: You have already received incorrect information. Thus, because you are temporarily coming to MA, you need to seek legal advice from attorney who knows the homeschool law (not advice from any homeschool group because their knowledge is for residents and again is not considered legal opinion) and find out if you can be considered to be legally schooling in TX while in MA and have appropriate papers with you. What could happen is that someone sees you with your children and report your children are not in school and call the school district. The school district could consider the kids truant. This is something you need to consider.

 

Heck, even if you submit the paperwork, the superintendent could still try not to approve you and threaten to hold the kids truant. This happened to us three years ago because we refused to meet with the super, which is not required by law. And we live here and pay our taxes!

 

Are you a member of HSLDA? They should be able to help you if you are a a member. They helped us with our problems.

 

Louise

[ciyates]

If you will not change your residence and are going to continue to file as a resident of Texas then I don't understand why you would feel like you are going underground.

 

From a military point of view my dh was TDY to another state for 9 months, we went with him but we still filled our state income taxes for our place of residence, we didn't change our car tags or driver's license and it was completely legitimate.

[Lolly]

I'm having an ethical dilemma..We currently live in Texas, where the hs rules are very easy. I have currently accepted a part-time gig in MA requiring us to do a temp move (about 9 mos) to MA...Problem is, everyone up there has told me how hard it is to homeschool.. you have to register with the school, they have to approve the curriculum and the teacher has to be a certified teacher..

Now, I am not a certified teacher, I have an eclectic (at least to a ps mentality) curriculum, and were not going to become permanent residents.. we are keeping our place in Houston and are Texas residents..G- CANT go to school next year, so I don't want to find out they don't approve it and he's got to go to school...because truth is, if they don't approve it, I wouldn't stay there.. Do I try to go through the system, or just lay low and make sure we don't do fieldtrips during school hours?

 

WWYD?

 

I don't think you have a problem. Wouldn't your homeschool requirements follow your state of legal residence? If you are still Texas residents, you should be following TX laws. I wouldn't be thinking twice about it.

[Orthodox6]

Since Texas law requires no paper trail at all, OP will have nothing to "prove" that she homeschools her children.

 

I still think that arming herself ahead of time by asking counsel of homeschool groups in the specific school district where her family will be living, makes good sense. Those local residents will be aware of how "battle-hungry" the local district typically is. If MA is a heavily rule-bound state for homeschooling, I doubt that the family will be left alone for long. I seriously doubt that the MA education authorities will believe that the family's stay of only a few months "lets a child off the hook" with regard to school enrollment.

 

(I look forward to hearing how this situation plays out. Maybe the MA district will be reasonable, and prove my apprehensions wrong ! )

[Matryoshka]

I'm having an ethical dilemma..We currently live in Texas, where the hs rules are very easy. I have currently accepted a part-time gig in MA requiring us to do a temp move (about 9 mos) to MA...Problem is, everyone up there has told me how hard it is to homeschool.. you have to register with the school, they have to approve the curriculum and the teacher has to be a certified teacher..

Now, I am not a certified teacher, I have an eclectic (at least to a ps mentality) curriculum, and were not going to become permanent residents.. we are keeping our place in Houston and are Texas residents..G- CANT go to school next year, so I don't want to find out they don't approve it and he's got to go to school...because truth is, if they don't approve it, I wouldn't stay there.. Do I try to go through the system, or just lay low and make sure we don't do fieldtrips during school hours?

 

 

No, no, no. It is easy-peasy to homeschool in MA. You do not have to be a certified teacher - in fact, the only legal requirement as to parent qualifications is that you have to be "of competent ability and good morals".

 

You do have to send a letter to the local school, usually the superintendent, sometimes the principal or another delegate - everything varies by town here. You just have to list out what subjects you're covering, what resources you're planning to use, and many want you to say that you'll do 900 hours, but there's no requirement that you log hours, or attendence - I just say "we school year-round so of course we'll meet or exceed 900 hours."

 

There are towns that want over and above what the law requires, but there are many that are too busy with their own business to worry about yours. Towns with so-so school systems tend to be easier to homeschool in - it's the ones that think they have the most wonderful schools on the planet that get a bug in their bonnet about making sure that you meet some silly list of requirements.

 

I know lots of unschoolers here, even. If you're using even 1/8 of the curriculum most people on this list use, just mentioning it will probably be more than enough to get approval.

 

I am out all the time, take lots of field trips, and have never had anyone question me about it - and if they did I'd just say I homeschooled, and I do not carry any "proof" with me, that is totally unnecessary.

 

I would try to move to a friendly town. You can ask on the mhla list for recommendations. Of the towns you've listed, I can only see Brookline as a potential problem (though I haven't heard anything) - I'd guess they'd think they have "better" schools and may look more askance at hsing. It'll be more expensive there anyway. I don't think Boston gives a hoot, and I'd doubt Waltham or Somerville would either.

 

Also, it's extremely hard to be actually disapproved here. Once you send in your LOI/ed plan, the burden is on them to prove that your curriculum is "not equal in thoroughness and efficiency" to theirs. They have to outline exactly what they think is deficient in your plan, and give you a chance to correct it. And even if you don't give them what they want, they'd then have to take you to court to prove their point. They all have no budgets for teachers or to fix their buildings. If they really don't like your plan, what they usually do is just don't send you an approval letter. But then you're still legal, because you've held up your end, and the ball is in their court. It is fine to homeschool without an approval letter as long as you've done your part. Lack of approval does not equal disapproval under the law.

 

But honestly, unless your ed plan is something like "we plan to have Lisa watch Power Ranger cartoons and eat cheetos all year while locked in a closet", I don't think you'll have an issue. I do have friends who have not gotten approval letters (there are some towns that actually don't send them out as a matter of course), but I've never known anyone personally that has been disapproved or had any trouble homeschooling here. I have gotten my approval letter promptly each year with no trouble. Just stay away from the nasty towns (and mhla will be able to tell you which those are).

 

Oh, and the end-of-year reporting can be:

1. A progress report or narrative (just a chatty letter saying what all you accomplished that year - this is what I do).

2. Work samples/portfolio

3. Standardized test

 

You get a say in what the method of reporting is, they cannot coerce you, nor can they ask for more than one method. Well, they can ask, but you are under no legal obligation to give it to them.

Edited September 18, 2009 by matroyshka

[LMA]

Since Texas law requires no paper trail at all, OP will have nothing to "prove" that she homeschools her children.

 

I still think that arming herself ahead of time by asking counsel of homeschool groups in the specific school district where her family will be living, makes good sense. Those local residents will be aware of how "battle-hungry" the local district typically is. If MA is a heavily rule-bound state for homeschooling, I doubt that the family will be left alone for long. I seriously doubt that the MA education authorities will believe that the family's stay of only a few months "lets a child off the hook" with regard to school enrollment.

 

(I look forward to hearing how this situation plays out. Maybe the MA district will be reasonable, and prove my apprehensions wrong ! )

 

Let me just say that MA will not care about Texas law one bit. We live in a state of heavy regulation of all facets of life. You will still have to show "proof" of legally homeschooling from TX (which the school district may or may not recognize) or that you meed the requirements for MA. This is to avoid truancy charges.

 

I also pointed out that the homeschool groups know the laws for residents. Being a temporary resident, she needs to get official legal counsel about how to show she is legally homeschooling from TX or find out if she has to conform to MA law for the period of time of being there. All homeschool groups have a disclaimer about legal advice and their knowledge is not going to help when the school officials come calling.

[rlowetx]

Thank you all for your advice.

For all the Texans who were quick to tell me I was wrong about Texas laws, I stated the letters incorrectly, but I was REQUIRED to write a withdrawal letter, and a Letter of Assurance (it was semantics - so I apologize to any that I gave an incorrect view of Texas law - it is NOT a LOI, and the Letter of Assurance is only needed if your school asks, which mine did). I wasn't specific because my question was about MA law...my apologies.

Anyway.. thank you all. I think I am going to call the district and ask them, without giving too many details on my part..if its easy we probably will go ahead, but the other issue is we won't be there at the end of the year..so eoy testing would be weird, since he won't be there in June.

I really appreciate the hives comments and help - you guys are great.

 

Thanks!

[Philothea]

I did mine for the first time this year, it was really easy. I just wrote about myself and my husband, told them I was doing the legal number of hours, provided them with a rough list of books we were using (I didn't even include the names of the authors, and I cited the books and things we were doing under headings of each subject that is required to be taught. All I have to do, per my district is to submit a narrative and some work samples one per year, at the end of the year. No testing or teacher evulations required.

 

The district here suggested belong to HSLDA. They don't even want a list of books next year, just a letter of intent to continue and the names of the students and their grade level.

 

PM me if you need any samples, if you end up submitting anything.

[mommaduck]

Personally, I'd follow the laws of that state even if I was moving before the end of the year.

[lulubelle]

We, apparently live in one of the more "strict" school districts for hs in MA. So far, they have pretty much ignored us. We sent a letter for K, since we held my son back a year before we started. Technically they should have needed something on the records for him being 6 yo. The school never contacted us back. This year we sent a LOI and it will be 7 weeks tomorrow and still no contact from the Superintendent's office (certified letter). I have a friend in the same town who is sweating bullets to go in and show sample work from last year, this coming week. And, another friend in this town that brought a lawyer to her meeting with the district person because they wanted samples and test scores. My husband thinks he simply wrote the LOI properly and didn't give the district the power to tell us how they want it. I hope that is the case. And, no you do not have to be a teacher certified. That is a NE myth! Good luck and have fun when you get here! Spend lots of time at the ocean and the Mts in NH.

[LMA]

Doing the NOI is not hard. It just has to cover 4 areas, as required by law. If you want my sample, please PM me.

 

This is how the Notice of Intent is viewed legally. I am not an attorney, so this is not legal advice, just an informal view of how the law works. If you send a NOI that covers all of the required areas to the superintendent/school committee and the school district doesn't want to approve it or hold you truant, the burden of proof is on them to show why. If you do not submit a NOI and the school district calls you about truancy, the burden of proof is on you to show that you are legally homeschooling in the state of MA.

[LMA]

We, apparently live in one of the more "strict" school districts for hs in MA. So far, they have pretty much ignored us. We sent a letter for K, since we held my son back a year before we started. Technically they should have needed something on the records for him being 6 yo. The school never contacted us back. This year we sent a LOI and it will be 7 weeks tomorrow and still no contact from the Superintendent's office (certified letter). I have a friend in the same town who is sweating bullets to go in and show sample work from last year, this coming week. And, another friend in this town that brought a lawyer to her meeting with the district person because they wanted samples and test scores. My husband thinks he simply wrote the LOI properly and didn't give the district the power to tell us how they want it. I hope that is the case. And, no you do not have to be a teacher certified. That is a NE myth! Good luck and have fun when you get here! Spend lots of time at the ocean and the Mts in NH.

 

A response of silence can be considered approval. We didn't receive any notification for the first two years. Legally, there is a limited frame of time in which to not accept your Notice of Intent. In other words, they can't say that they disapprove your program months into the school year.

[SonshineLearner]

Would you be under their law, if you're a temporary resident? I would think not...

Carrie:-)

[LibraryLover]

There are boat-loads of hsers in the areas you mentioned. Many are liberals, so I don't know about strong moral character. :D (I'm a liberal, so I'm self- effacing...)

 

You're a resident of TX, working in MA-- there would be no reason for you to do a LOI for MA, since you are already registered in TX. Just bring your TX letter along. I'll tell you that Waltham, Brookline etc are large systems and many children attned private schools in those areas, and private school children to not have to show the school department why they do not attend public school. Most likely, nobody will notice or care, but you'll have TX papers if anyone does.

 

One does not have to be a certified teacher in MA to hs. lol That's one I hadn't heard before.

Edited September 20, 2009 by LibraryLover