Lease requires turning in report card

[NatashainDFW]

I live in Texas and in public housing (although we pay market rent). The lease says we have to provide a copy of our children's report cards yearly. If it were you what would you do?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Make up report cards.  If your kids are in k - 8, I would use a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory system and if they are in high school I would use letter grades.  

[Petrichor]

Is that legal?

[NatashainDFW]

Is that legal?

 

That was my concern 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Is that legal?

That's a really good question.  It got me curious.  I've been googling and am not finding information on this practice  (if it is a common practice).  

[TXBeth]

In Texas home schools are legally private schools, so it is perfectly fine for you to just make up your own report card.

[NatashainDFW]

I just reread the lease clause.....they want proof of 90% attendance 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Then make your own (as your own private school) and make sure you mark 100% attendance!  And in that situation I wouldn't bother with letter grades but just S = satisfactory  U = unsatisfactory  or you could do Pass/ Fail.  That way you don't have to spend any time on it.  

[foxbridgeacademy]

I would also just make a pass/fail card and make a simple attendance record. Put it on a "letterhead" with your school name. Don't explain to management, if they have an issue with it let them come to you, then you can "school" them in state law.

[Haiku]

I would tell them my kids are homeschooled. I would also contact the fair housing commission and verify the legality of their request.

[Ellie]

Have you contacted THSC?

 

I don't see a problem with your making your own report card, which includes attendance. But this is just weird. Contact THSC

[Hunter]

I'll bet you can get an exemption. Homeschooling isn't the only reason a child would be without a report card.

 

I live in a subsidized highrise in a major city. There are lots of rules given to us, that many of us have been exempted from. I've had to learn to just call management.

[Ellie]

I'll bet you can get an exemption. Homeschooling isn't the only reason a child would be without a report card.

 

Technically, there is no such thing as "homeschooling" in Texas. They are private schools. If all private school students are required to submit report cards, then "homeschooled" children are, as well.

 

It's easy-peasy to come up with report cards. Whether it's legal to require it or not is the issue.

[In the Rain]

It sounds like they are trying to avoid families with truant children who hang out causing trouble all day.

[Hunter]

Since my divorce I have received a LOT of services, subsidies, handouts, grants, you name it. A lot of the rules are there to appease the donors and tax payers, who expect their money to be used by those "who deserve it".

 

The market rate tenants in my building are exempt from some rules, but not others. Even though market rate, their rent is still a bargain in this area, and there are annoying aspect of living in this building that some of them are willing to put up with. Others move out after their lease is up

[Dmmetler]

My DD needs report cards for eligibility for cheer and some of her academic competitions and we use https://www.homeschoolreporting.com/ which keeps a record of grades/attendance. I've never had it questioned.  I realized why when my nieces were visiting and their mom printed out copies of their report cards for them to get free tokens at a pizza/games place-their "report card" from a major public school district looked, if anything, less official than my DD's did. I imagine you could do something similar without using their software.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wheres Toto]

I agree with just printing something off. A lot of schools no longer send home printed report cards, they are available online for viewing and sometimes for electronic approval. When we needed grades for my oldest, we had to print them from the school website and it was basically a table showing the class, the grade, and the number of absences and tardies. The school name was just typed at the top near her name.

[Mommy22alyns]

I've found "Homeschool Report Cards" at teacher supply stores.  Or just print something out.

[Tracy]

There is very little that is not legal when you are receiving government funds,and they can make you jump through whatever hoops they want (as long as doing so does not represent something criminal, or violate civil rights).  Basically, they are saying that they will not provide a subsidy to anyone who is neglecting their children and are asking for proof that they are being educated.  Presumably, it is in the lease because they have had problems with tenants in this area, so they added it to the lease to increase accountability.  

[duckens]

IF this is legal, and you write your own Report Cards (as others have recommended), I would also save the last 2 years worth of my child's work. 

 

I know this is tough in a small apartment, but throw all the workbooks and textbooks in a tote in the corner.  Keep a list or journal of enriching books from the library and field trips taken.  Documentation is your friend.  Then, if there is EVER a question of whether your kids were actually "in school" or not, you can pull stuff out and say, "Here is her math curriculum.  Here is here Language Arts curriculum.  Here is a folder of her writing assignments.  These are the science experiments we did.  Etc, etc." 

[mrs.m]

IF this is legal, and you write your own Report Cards (as others have recommended), I would also save the last 2 years worth of my child's work. 

 

I know this is tough in a small apartment, but throw all the workbooks and textbooks in a tote in the corner.  Keep a list or journal of enriching books from the library and field trips taken.  Documentation is your friend.  Then, if there is EVER a question of whether your kids were actually "in school" or not, you can pull stuff out and say, "Here is her math curriculum.  Here is here Language Arts curriculum.  Here is a folder of her writing assignments.  These are the science experiments we did.  Etc, etc." 

I would not give any of this information to a landlord or housing authority. They have no legal jurisdiction over this area. If I signed a lease and agreed to give a report card, then that is all I would be willing to disclose without them taking me to court. I'm all for tracking for my own purposes but I wouldn't go beyond what the law requires. Nor would I hand that information to just anyone.

[LucyStoner]

There is very little that is not legal when you are receiving government funds,and they can make you jump through whatever hoops they want.  

 

Actually, there is quite a lot that is illegal to ask or require of families in public housing.  HUD rules and regulations are not few and limited.  To say nothing of state and local housing laws.  

 

There are other housing authorities and developments (Chicago comes to mind) that have tried this and had to retract the policy.  

 

I would verify the legality in your jurisdiction before doing anything else.   If it is in fact a legal request, just submit materials you generate yourself.  

[NatashainDFW]

Thankfully I have until June of next year to deal with actually handing a report card in. Of course we will likely not be done with our year by then which presents other problems. I am going to start really documenting our work when we begin new curriculum next month just in case we end up needing it.

[Ellie]

Thankfully I have until June of next year to deal with actually handing a report card in. Of course we will likely not be done with our year by then which presents other problems. I am going to start really documenting our work when we begin new curriculum next month just in case we end up needing it.

 

It won't matter whether you're finished or not. Fill in the grades. It will be fine.

[Haiku]

IF this is legal, and you write your own Report Cards (as others have recommended), I would also save the last 2 years worth of my child's work. 

 

I know this is tough in a small apartment, but throw all the workbooks and textbooks in a tote in the corner.  Keep a list or journal of enriching books from the library and field trips taken.  Documentation is your friend.  Then, if there is EVER a question of whether your kids were actually "in school" or not, you can pull stuff out and say, "Here is her math curriculum.  Here is here Language Arts curriculum.  Here is a folder of her writing assignments.  These are the science experiments we did.  Etc, etc."

This is how homeschoolers end up getting more regulated. In the rush to please others and validate what we do, we can end up ignoring the fact that we are giving people way more information than they are legally entitled to collect. I would never show samples of my child's work to a government official if that person weren't legally entitled to see it.

 

I battled the school district last year for the first time (in 7 years of homeschooling) over whether I had to send just composite scores or all the sub-scores. I won because I knew the law. I won't even send them my phone number when I notify because they aren't legally entitled to collect it.

[Ellie]

This is how homeschoolers end up getting more regulated. In the rush to please others and validate what we do, we can end up ignoring the fact that we are giving people way more information than they are legally entitled to collect. I would never show samples of my child's work to a government official if that person weren't legally entitled to see it.

 

I battled the school district last year for the first time (in 7 years of homeschooling) over whether I had to send just composite scores or all the sub-scores. I won because I knew the law. I won't even send them my phone number when I notify because they aren't legally entitled to collect it.

 

Tara, I love you!!! :cheers2:

[Piper]

If I were you I would be on the phone to the HSLDA.  Doesn't sound too legal to me, and HSLDA would be able to answer whether it is legal, and if not, then deal with the issue and make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

Tara, you're awesome!  :001_smile:

[duckens]

 

IF this is legal, and you write your own Report Cards (as others have recommended), I would also save the last 2 years worth of my child's work. 

 

I know this is tough in a small apartment, but throw all the workbooks and textbooks in a tote in the corner.  Keep a list or journal of enriching books from the library and field trips taken.  Documentation is your friend.  Then, if there is EVER a question of whether your kids were actually "in school" or not, you can pull stuff out and say, "Here is her math curriculum.  Here is here Language Arts curriculum.  Here is a folder of her writing assignments.  These are the science experiments we did.  Etc, etc."

This is how homeschoolers end up getting more regulated. In the rush to please others and validate what we do, we can end up ignoring the fact that we are giving people way more information than they are legally entitled to collect. I would never show samples of my child's work to a government official if that person weren't legally entitled to see it.

 

First, I questioned the legality of it, too.  Note the big IF as the first word I used.

 

Like it or not, there ARE strings attached when one receives government funding. This is true whether one a government certified lab, a Women's Clinic, or a church. I know a lot of Bloomberg's voluntary pilot programs in NYC offer financial incentives for poor families, but with strings exactly like this attached.  I also know that Bloomberg's policies are also being tried in at least two other locations around the country; one of them is in a part of TX.

 

This may be a Bloomberg project, or it may be an imitation.  Or it may not have anything to do with these voluntary pilot programs.  Or it may be a private money project (for which the rules and legality may be different; I've seen that, too).

 

Second, I never said to voluntarily give the kids' paperwork to any government official.  I know *I* never would, unless it was specifically stated in the rules of participation or by law.

 

However, Documentation is Our Friend.

 

If you hired me to do a job for you, wouldn't you want some documentation?  A copy of my college diploma (for your law firm), insurance for the job (if I was cutting down a tree for you), references. 

 

How about I just print off my own references, and tell you to just trust me?  That probably wouldn't fly.  And this is the issue with government money.  Just saying, "Trust me," may not be enough. 

 

Currently on these boards, there is a thread differentiating between people who unschool, and people who just say they unschool, but let their kids watch tv all day.  If we within the homeschool community can see that there are those who claim to homeschool, but are really neglecting their kids, why would we wonder at public or governmental skepticism of those exact same families? 

 

Third, I recommended the documentation because if a "self-made" report card is not enough for the powers that be, then further documentation may be requested.  This is true in ANY government situation, and more so with private funding. 

 

The goal is that the OP get to stay in her housing.  We don't want the OP to be caught with her pants down.  It would be disastrous if she threw out the ETC and MUS workbooks the week before she receives a letter demanding further documentation.  In this way, she will be smugly prepared for whatever they throw at her.

 

Or, she can ignore this suggestion, and do what someone on the internet (who has not read the policy and lives in a different state) says is legal.

 

 

[Haiku]

Your wording led me to believe that you were advocating a report card, which, as has been stated here, would by necessity be homemade if homeschools in TX are private schools, AND extra documentation just in case. I'm simply saying that extra documentation needn't be necessary just to cover our a$$es or appear cooperative. If it's legal for them to require a report card, give a report card. Don't feel obligated to back it up with extra stuff that wouldn't be required of a schooled child.

[NatashainDFW]

I will be making some phone calls Monday. I want to make sure we are prepared come next summer .

[Dmmetler]

Actually, PS does keep student work samples and has standardized tests for documentation, not just report card grades, so it really isn't more than is required of public schools (or most private ones, I'd imagine). It doesn't mean HUD or whoever can require it-but it's not all that outlandish to keep it.

 

 

[Haiku]

But she didn't say the lease called for a report card and work samples from the school. She said it calls for a report card. So, if this is legal, she should not have to provide anything more just because she homeschools. Keeping the work is one thing. Showing it when you don't have to is another.

[Crimson Wife]

If the lease called for report cards and management rejected the ones I made as administrator of my private school, I would be joining HSLDA just to get them to advocate for me in this instance.

[NatashainDFW]

And we are exempt from the report card requirement! I was able to discuss this with the person in charge of the housing authority in our area (who is also on our local school board) and she said that she would have the office notate that we homeschool so our children will always have 100% attendance.