Definition of Homeschooler.

[StartingOver]

If a public, charter, umbrella or other public option school receives government funding for a child enrolled with them just as a regular public school child does.

 

Is that child legally a homeschooler in your state ?

 

Or legally in a public schooler that does not attend a brick and mortar school ?

Edited May 7, 2010 by alatexan68

[StartingOver]

nm

[Mrs Mungo]

If a public, charter, umbrella or other public option school receives government funding for a child enrolled with them just as a regular public school child does.

 

Is that child legally a homeschooler in your state ?

 

Or legally in a public schooler that does not attend a brick and mortar school ?

 

A child who attends a public charter school in my state is a public-school child by definition. They receive access to programs that homeschoolers do not have access to.

 

At the same time, most of our local homeschooling groups allow public-school-at-home families to join.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I dont know legally what that would be considered in our state, though I do know, homeschoolers are allowed to join the public schoolers in sports, music or art if they want, that is a state law here!

[StartingOver]

I dont know legally what that would be considered in our state, though I do know, homeschoolers are allowed to join the public schoolers in sports, music or art if they want, that is a state law here!

 

 

If your child attends one of these programs, did you have to fill out a form with their social security number on it ?

 

If you did, then most likely your child / children is counted as a public schooler and the government provides funds to the school district.

[Daisy]

There are two designations in CA.

 

Public School Student - all students who attend traditional public schools, charter schools, or charter home schools regardless of where the classes meet. The state receives funds for these students and these students must meet Department of Education requirements such as attendance, standardized testing, and course of study.

 

Private School Student - all students who attend physical private schools or whose parents declare themselves to be private schools. This includes homeschoolers who file their own affidavits, go through PSPs, or sign up for something like BJU's distance learning.

 

I think there is a third designation called tutoring, but it really falls under public school student, imo. They have to be taught by a credentialed teacher who follows all DoE regulations.

 

The two groups will occasionally converge in a more open group, but most private school home school groups won't allow public school students to attend. They claim it is for liability issues. I have no clue if this is true or not.

 

I answered the poll by its legal definition. That said, out of respect, I refer to my neighbors as homeschoolers even though their children are considered public school students by the state. They are after all schooling at home.

Edited May 7, 2010 by Daisy

[Ellie]

Specifically, children must be enrolled in a private school or a public school, or tutored full time by a credentialed teacher.:)

[StartingOver]

I can just see some folks doing research on this question. :D

[Aubrey]

Were you asking *legally* or *philosophically*? Imo...it varies. There are some hs'ers who really have a more ps mindset. I haven't met many of these, never known them really well, but they seem to return to ps eventually.

 

Otoh, I'm pretty sure I'd be a hs'er even if my dc were in ps. I'd annoy everybody w/ all my questions, concerns, & *that* would be when I was stuffing most of what I really wanted to ask/say. And honestly? I'm pretty sure that if my body ever died enough for somebody to step over it & put my dc in ps, I'd revive long enough to pull them out. It's not that I have *that* much against ps, lol, I'm just a hs'er at heart.

[m0mmaBuck]

It depends.

 

In Washington state, as I understand the laws:

 

If the child is registered for a full course load with a public school/charter/etc, then s/he is (legally) a public school student.

 

If s/he is registered for a partial course load s/he is a homeschooled student.

 

:iagree:

[StartingOver]

Were you asking *legally* or *philosophically*? Imo...it varies. There are some hs'ers who really have a more ps mindset. I haven't met many of these, never known them really well, but they seem to return to ps eventually.

 

Otoh, I'm pretty sure I'd be a hs'er even if my dc were in ps. I'd annoy everybody w/ all my questions, concerns, & *that* would be when I was stuffing most of what I really wanted to ask/say. And honestly? I'm pretty sure that if my body ever died enough for somebody to step over it & put my dc in ps, I'd revive long enough to pull them out. It's not that I have *that* much against ps, lol, I'm just a hs'er at heart.

 

I was asking what the legal definition is... but I am sure most people will just vote what they believe. I can see some people researching to find out which they really are, but some will just assume.

[Crissy]

I was asking what the legal definition is... but I am sure most people will just vote what they believe. I can see some people researching to find out which they really are, but some will just assume.

 

You don't seem to have a very high opinion of other homeschoolers.

 

Those who I know have a clear understanding of their PS/HS status, even though in our state there are a number of options for each.

[Paula in PA]

My understanding is that here in PA a student using one of the cyber-charter schools follows the public school laws, not the homeschool law, so is therefore considered a public school student.

[OnTheBrink]

I don't think there is the option of being enrolled in a public school (charter or otherwise) in my state and still learning from home. Home schools in IL are legally private schools. So, I guess you're either a public school student, or a private school student, legally. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will set me straight! LOL

 

IMO, if you're learning from home, being taught by your parents, you're a home-schooled student, regardless of where or how the materials are obtained.

 

IMO, if a tutor is being paid to teach the children at home, they're tutored. In my head, that's a different scenario than being home-schooled.

[LisaKinVA]

Legally, in Virginia, if you are enrolled in a public charter cyber-school, you are a public school student. You take the state SOL's, have to meet the annual educational hours mandated by the state, submit normal school enrollment forms, and turn in a small sample of work throughout the year (about once each quarter).

 

Homeschoolers in our state have 4 options. Religious Exemption, college degree (I think we recently amended this to be either a high school or college degree), or a certified teacher (some counties deny use of this one if your certificate is for high school math, and you're teaching elementary school...kinda blurry on that fact). #4 is to use an approved private "school at home" curriculum. I know that if you use the registration/degree option you file a brief outline of your course curriculum, and have to turn in yearly achievement tests after the 1st grade, or have an evaluation of a portfolio completed. I'm not sure if the Religious Exemption or Certification venues require anything else.

[snickelfritz]

Public Schooler

 

BUT

 

A friend uses a certain "private school" that has classes M/W/F until noon and picks all curriculum for all content areas. They just have heavy homework to work on at home.........They are considered HOMESCHOOL, legally.

 

So, what does the legal definition really count for?

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

Legally? Public schooler. Philosophically? IMHO, if parents are implementing the education I would consider a child to be a homeschooler even if they attended a co-op, took only selected classes at any school, did most of their work in the car or at the library, utilized on-line classes.... How about a public homeschooler? :)

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

If your child attends one of these programs, did you have to fill out a form with their social security number on it ?

 

If you did, then most likely your child / children is counted as a public schooler and the government provides funds to the school district.

 

 

You know, I honestly dont know. We havent actually used it yet. Just looking into it for my dd who wants to start band and soccer next year. If we do go with it I can PM you and let you know!!!

[joannqn]

In our state, you are a public schooler if enrolled in a virtual academy. However, they allow you to attend part time, with part time being any percentage under 100%. To participate in the program part time, I have to file two forms: a Release of Attendance asking our local school district to transfer us to the school district our academy is in and an Intent to Homeschool form is submitted to our new school district for the homeschool percentage.

 

Also, with our academy, I am free to choose our curriculum, learning style, schedule, etc. They don't tell me what I have to teach, I tell them what I plan on teaching. They don't want to know what curriculum I am using, only the goals I will be covering. There are requirements we have to meet but they are easy to meet. The weekly email my kids write (a few sentences) and monthly review I write (a few sentences per subject) keep me accountable; we don't get super behind anymore because I want to have something to write about! Record keeping requirements get more involved if you want a state-issued diploma; however, you can choose to issue a homeschool diploma which does not have all the record keeping requirements.

 

So, by law, we are public school if 100% enrolled and both is part time enrolled. The practical application is not much different from homeschool.

[Renee in NC]

A child who attends a public charter school in my state is a public-school child by definition. They receive access to programs that homeschoolers do not have access to.

 

At the same time, most of our local homeschooling groups allow public-school-at-home families to join.

 

:iagree:

 

We have both in our homeschool group. I answered legally a public schooler but that isn't quite right. There are virtual schools that make the student legally a public schooler, but the FL Virtual School offers classes for students 6-12th grade in public, private, and homeschools. You could take *all* your classes through FLVS and you are still legally a ps, private, or hs (depending on your school of record.) Those classes are free to all state residents and have certified teachers who are in regular contact with your student, but you are still homeschooling.

 

ETA: The other type of virtual schools (where you become a public schooler) are not open to homeschoolers. You have to go to ps for a year before you are eligible. There used to be another option, but it only allowed 1000 students to start and then only added siblings later. We have a couple of families who are part of that program. If the virtual school were open to homeschoolers, my now K daughter would be enrolled (it's K12) because she would thrive. My LD kids would not be.

Edited May 7, 2010 by Renee in FL

[Carrie12345]

The only gov't funded options in PA are regular public school, public charter school, and public virtual charter school.

 

When it comes to philosophy, most of the homeschool groups welcome public virtual charter school families.

[Wheres Toto]

NJ doesn't offer any public cyber school options at all. The only public school children learning at home are those who are temporarily being home tutored for medical reasons.

 

Whether we can take classes/extra curriculars at the public schools is up to the individual districts. I don't know of anyone who is actually doing anything like that but most sports, etc. up to the high school level tend to be community (not school) run anyway.

 

Personally, I don't see why if I do K12 cyber school here in NJ (paying myself) I'm more of a homeschooler than someone doing the EXACT same K12 program in Pennsylvania, where it's paid for.

[angela in ohio]

In Ohio, they are considered a public schooled student. The word homeschooling is defined by Ohio regulations. Homeschoolers have no rigth to classes or activities with the public schools, though a few schools do decide on their own to offer them.

 

As someone else said, they have access to many thing that homeschoolers do not. They generally are involved in activities with their virtual school.

 

Many homeschoolers I have known have no idea what the state law is. In Ohio, they fill out the form from their homeschool group or the school district each year, with no idea of their rights. Most have never read the regulations. I always sent homeschoolers straight to read the regulations first when they asked me a question or for a form.

 

Michigan (we moved recently) has no virtual schools. They do have two options for homeschoolers - be a homeschooler or register as a private school. Michigan homeschoolers have a right to non-academic activities and classes with the public school, though schools vary in how helpful they are.

[mommy4ever]

Is a child that receives funding from the government still a homeschooler ?

 

Where we live, every homeschool family is entitled to funding. We all pay an education tax. How much we get per year varies on the school board we are with. The minimum is 50% of the yearly allotment. Some boards are ps at home, cyberschool, correspondance and if you are fully aligned you can get the full amount, if you are blended you can get between 50-100%, traditional get only 50%. I chose to do my own thing, not fully align as there are too many important things that are missing in the foundations. This year, I get no funding as we registered so late, but in the fall, each of my kids will have $750 we can use toward curriculum, and I can do as I chose in terms of what learning we will do. But $750/year per child, to be able to do whatever remedial work is necessary is way better than $1500 and we MUST do what the province has set out...too bad if they are missing foundations.

[StartingOver]

In Ohio, they are considered a public schooled student. The word homeschooling is defined by Ohio regulations. Homeschoolers have no rigth to classes or activities with the public schools, though a few schools do decide on their own to offer them.

 

As someone else said, they have access to many thing that homeschoolers do not. They generally are involved in activities with their virtual school.

 

Many homeschoolers I have known have no idea what the state law is. In Ohio, they fill out the form from their homeschool group or the school district each year, with no idea of their rights. Most have never read the regulations. I always sent homeschoolers straight to read the regulations first when they asked me a question or for a form.

 

Michigan (we moved recently) has no virtual schools. They do have two options for homeschoolers - be a homeschooler or register as a private school. Michigan homeschoolers have a right to non-academic activities and classes with the public school, though schools vary in how helpful they are.

 

I wish all states would clearly define the laws.

[StartingOver]

nm

[WTMindy]

Legally, my kids are public school students. But, I would describe us as homeschoolers. The majority of our learning happens at home. We are completely in charge of my curriculum, learning, and schedules. I chose other because I didn't know if you mean legally or how I would define myself.

[Greta]

If a public, charter, umbrella or other public option school receives government funding for a child enrolled with them just as a regular public school child does.

 

Is that child legally a homeschooler in your state ?

 

Or legally in a public schooler that does not attend a brick and mortar school ?

 

For one brief year in my state we had a "school at home" type of charter school. When we enrolled in the school, we were told in no uncertain terms that we were no longer legally considered homeschoolers. They explained up-front that if we had filed our intent to homeschool letter with the state, we would need to write them a new letter "retracting" that and explaining that we had enrolled our children in a public school.

 

Emotionally, I still "felt" like a homeschooler.

 

Legally, I was not.

 

So I chose "public" on the poll.

[Karen in CO]

My two younger children are enrolled in a public charter school that is designed as an enrichment school for homeschoolers. I still file a "Notice of Intent to Homeschool" every year so I know the state considers us homeschoolers, BUT the school receives funding for my kids from my very high property taxes. My kids are not allowed to enroll in any other public charter school while they are enrolled in this program because the money can only be spent once. So we are an other legally, financially and maybe even philosophically. We homeschool 4 days a week and public school one day a week. They have terrific teachers, access to online Rosetta Stone, professional art and science instruction, field trips, pe, recess and a very short lunch. The oldest goes to a private university out of country, but thats another story. :)