RainbowSprinkles Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I've heard CA is the worst state when it comes to laws (of any kind, really). Is it really so bad? What is it like to homeschool in CA? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 It is really easy to homeschool in California. You can be with a huge number of public school charters that allow you to school at home that often give you money. Or you can become your very own very small private school and then you can do whatever you want. If you go the public school charter route, then you have to follow their rules. Testing and other stuff, whatever they ask for. If you go the very small private school route, then you fill out one form in October and you are done. No testing, no portfolios, nothing. Technically homeschooling doesn't exist in California by that name. Instead it falls under the private school label. It still is very easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 It is really easy to homeschool in California. You can be with a huge number of public school charters that allow you to school at home that often give you money. Or you can become your very own very small private school and then you can do whatever you want. If you go the public school charter route, then you have to follow their rules. Testing and other stuff, whatever they ask for. If you go the very small private school route, then you fill out one form in October and you are done. No testing, no portfolios, nothing. Technically homeschooling doesn't exist in California by that name. Instead it falls under the private school label. It still is very easy. Yep! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Yep! Living in CA is a pain for several other reasons, but the homeschooling laws is not one of them. :001_smile: (I love California. I just wish people would quit screwing it up.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainbowSprinkles Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 It is really easy to homeschool in California. You can be with a huge number of public school charters that allow you to school at home that often give you money. Or you can become your very own very small private school and then you can do whatever you want. If you go the public school charter route, then you have to follow their rules. Testing and other stuff, whatever they ask for. If you go the very small private school route, then you fill out one form in October and you are done. No testing, no portfolios, nothing. Technically homeschooling doesn't exist in California by that name. Instead it falls under the private school label. It still is very easy. That actually sounds pretty good, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainbowSprinkles Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Yep! Living in CA is a pain for several other reasons, but the homeschooling laws is not one of them. :001_smile: (I love California. I just wish people would quit screwing it up.) What don't you like about CA? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdj2027 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 We homeschool through a public charter school. Our only requirements are to turn in 1 sample of work per subject per month and to take the STAR test. However, the kids get as much time as they want to take the test, the parents bring in munchies and drinks, and there is no pressure on results as it is expected that what is taught doesn't necessarily line up with what is on the test. All classes and field trips are voluntary. There are no grades until high school, you determine whether they pass or fail. Since it is a public charter school they will receive a regular diploma and all materials are free of charge. I find it very easy to homeschool here and sort of dread moving next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I've heard CA is the worst state when it comes to laws (of any kind, really). Is it really so bad? What is it like to homeschool in CA? :bigear: Whoever says that isn't paying attention. :glare: California is a private schools state; that is, there is a court case which ruled that homeschooled students are private school students (although homeschoolers have been filing as private schools for 40 or 50 years). There is no accountability to the state at all--no testing, no minimum # of school days, no teacher qualifications, no contact with the school district, nothin'. Californians file a private school affidavit annually. It isn't permission or anything; it's just a notification that a private school exists, # of students, etc. You can either file your affidavit yourself (no other accountability); or you can enroll in someone else's private school (referred to as a Private School Satellite Program, sometimes as an Independent Study Program), in which case you have to pay them and follow their requirements. Most people file their own affidavits. If you file your own affidavit, that's the full extent of contact with public school officials. Charter schools and whatnot are public schools, not homeschools; students are public school students, not homeschooled students. There is a boatload of them. They're free, but there are requirements for testing and whatnot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I've heard CA is the worst state when it comes to laws (of any kind, really). Is it really so bad? What is it like to homeschool in CA? :bigear: CA is the worst when it comes to business regulations (my DH has had a LLC in Delaware and in CA and it's like day and night). But when it comes to HS laws, it's actually fairly hands-off. No standardized testing, no portfolio review, no need to provide a curriculum list, no educational requirements for the teacher, no counting hours, nada. I'd say NY, MA, and PA have the worst HS laws going by what I've heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 We originally went through a public charter school, no money handed out, but free supplies! My kids liked the classes at first, but after a while we decided to go our own route. I've filed the PSA twice now, and it is a piece of cake. Minimal record keeping, no testing, and we can follow our interests. HSC's FAQ's are really useful, and explain everything very clearly. It is all quite simple, and whoever thinks it is a bad place to homeschool is a bit misguided! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 What don't you like about CA? :bigear: Here we have one of the most naturally wealthy areas in the world. Gorgeous scenery of all kinds. Incredibly fertile soil. Beautiful harbors. You name it. And we are mismanaging our resources to the point that the only reason no one has admitted that we're bankrupt is because it's too scary to say out loud. Oh, and we hate businesses so much that we drive them out and then blame them for leaving and complain about the unemployment rate. California is my home; my family has been here since Okie days. I don't want to be the one who has to leave because it's become untenable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I've filed the PSA twice now, and it is a piece of cake. Minimal record keeping, no testing, and we can follow our interests. HSC's FAQ's are really useful, and explain everything very clearly. It is all quite simple, and whoever thinks it is a bad place to homeschool is a bit misguided! We should note that "minimal recordkeeping" doesn't refer to anything that public school officials can see. Remember that the private school laws were written for, you know, private schools, not homeschoolers. :-) And there's nothing in the law that allows school officials to see such records as the qualifications of the teachers or the courses offered by the school. There has never, ever been a court case (or even just a simple contact) where officials asked to see those. :-) FTR, private schools are supposed to keep on file the qulifications of their teachers (and the law only says that they must be "persons capable of teaching," with no definition of what that means); the courses offered by the school; and an attendance calendar on which has been indicated each day a student is absent (for longer than half of however long a school day is). School administrators should, of course, print extra copies of their affidavits before submitting them electronically. The only records *ever* submitted in court have been the attendance records (which is silly when you think about it, lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Actually, I think we are required to show our affidavit and attendance records if asked by a truancy officer. But nobody I know has ever been asked, and some counties can't even afford a truancy officer these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsKriknav Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 This has been helpful! This is my first time homeschooling in CA (we just moved here from VA) and I had no idea about how to file my letter of intent, etc... One question I have is: My daughter who is officially starting Kindergarten will not be 6 until March 2013, so do I need to file a letter of intent this coming Fall or can I wait until the Fall of 2013? Thank you ladies!!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Wait until Fall 2013. (For the moment) K is not compulsory in CA. Just enroll her as a 1st grader on your PSA next year :). HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Yep! Living in CA is a pain for several other reasons, but the homeschooling laws is not one of them. :001_smile: (I love California. I just wish people would quit screwing it up.) :iagree:I'v only lived here in CA so I have nothing to compare to, but from what I've heard and read, we have one of the easiest states to homeschool in, as far as laws. And depending on where you end up, there are LOTS of opportunities for activities/classes/field trips, if that's your style. Cost of living, though, and big government.....hmmmmmm.....:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Actually, I think we are required to show our affidavit and attendance records if asked by a truancy officer. But nobody I know has ever been asked, and some counties can't even afford a truancy officer these days. The affidavit, yes; the attendance records, no. Here's what section 48222 says about that: Children who are being instructed in a private full-time day school by persons capable of teaching shall be exempted [from public school attendance]. Such school shall, except under the circumstances described in Section 30, be taught in the English language and shall offer instruction in the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools of the state. The attendance of the pupils shall be kept by private school authorities in a register, and the record of attendance shall indicate clearly every absence of the pupil from school for a half day or more during each day that school is maintained during the year. Exemptions under this section shall be valid only after verification by the attendance supervisor of the district, or other person designated by the board of education, that the private school has complied with the provisions of section 33190 requiring the annual filing by the owner or other head of a private school of an affidavit or statement of prescribed information with the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The verification required by this section shall not be construed as an evaluation, recognition, approval, or endorsement of any private school or course. So yes, a truant officer may verify that an affidavit has been filed, but no, he may not see the attendance records (and what would those prove, anyway??). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 This has been helpful! This is my first time homeschooling in CA (we just moved here from VA) and I had no idea about how to file my letter of intent, etc... One question I have is: My daughter who is officially starting Kindergarten will not be 6 until March 2013, so do I need to file a letter of intent this coming Fall or can I wait until the Fall of 2013? Thank you ladies!!:D NOTE: You are not filing a letter of intent. You are filing a private school affidavit (PSA). Remember that California does NOT have a homeschool law; it has a court case which decided that homeschools are the equivalent of private schools, and so homeschoolers file PSAs annually; they don't notify anyone that they are homeschooling. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 What don't you like about CA? :bigear: I'm in TX and miss CA terribly. I miss the scenic views, the weather (we lived in Southern CA on the coast), and how friendly everyone was (including drivers). Don't get me started on how rude DFW drivers are compared to LA/So CA drivers. Grrrrrr. :glare: BTW, it is incredibly easy to homeschool in CA. We did it back in 2004-2005 before our move to TX. The law is very user friendly and there are tons of support groups in CA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsKriknav Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 NOTE: You are not filing a letter of intent. You are filing a private school affidavit (PSA). Remember that California does NOT have a homeschool law; it has a court case which decided that homeschools are the equivalent of private schools, and so homeschoolers file PSAs annually; they don't notify anyone that they are homeschooling. :) Yes, I've been reading about the form I need to fill out. It's somewhat confusing to declare your home as a private school, but hopefully I can get through it with some online help when the time comes! Thanks for the info:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tagglelim Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I just moved to So. Cal myself and have a quick question about all of this. When do we file the private affidavit? We moved in January. When I tried to file online, there was a message that said affidavits were only accepted in October. So, even though we're now finishing our school year this summer, we actually haven't filed yet. Do those of us that just moved need to do something now or just wait for this next coming school year and file in October? Thank you for letting me butt in and ask this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 You don't need to do anything now. You can wait until October to file. But I am surprised that you couldn't file in January when you arrived in California. It should have been available then. When we moved to California in December there wasn't a problem filing then. Welcome to California! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Yes, I've been reading about the form I need to fill out. It's somewhat confusing to declare your home as a private school, but hopefully I can get through it with some online help when the time comes! Thanks for the info:001_smile: Well, technically, you aren't declaring anything. :-) You're just stating that a private school exists at *this* address. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 You don't need to do anything now. You can wait until October to file. But I am surprised that you couldn't file in January when you arrived in California. It should have been available then. When we moved to California in December there wasn't a problem filing then. Welcome to California! I'm not surprised. You're supposed to file on-line between October 1 and 15. After that, you have to request a paper form; I'm surprised you were able to file on-line in December :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Maybe it has changed over time. I only needed to file in December once and that was three and a half years ago. Anyway, really there is nothing to do now. Wait until October and file the form then. Last year I posted a link when it was time to remind folks. I will try to do it this year too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tagglelim Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Welcome to California! Thanks! Right now, I am REALLY appreciating the weather. Cool breezes! No humidity! We moved from FL, where we would be baking in a very wet oven by now. :) Woohoo for ocean breezes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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