Virginia Home Schoolers, Religious exemption article (CC)

[Lanny]

I found this article interesting and I wonder if in VA it is necessary to file a religious exemption, under VA state law, to be able to HS?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/01/15/school-district-to-stop-interrogating-christian-homeschool-kids/

[bettyandbob]

No, it's very easy to homeschool without the exemption.

 

It's been a few years for me, but I think this is still accurate. You simply file a statement with your county. Then, you can have your child take an achievement test once a year or have someone evaluate a portfolio of work to show progress. I used the CAT from Seton, which a homeschooler can administer to his/her own dc. It was cheap. One year my county offered group testing of the Stanford Achievement Test and we did that. Scores required are very low. The people I know who did the portfolio never had trouble with that option either. The evaluation, either by test or portfolio, is to show progress in reading or math, no other subjects.

[Aiden]

No, it's very easy to homeschool without the exemption.

 

It's been a few years for me, but I think this is still accurate. You simply file a statement with your county. Then, you can have your child take an achievement test once a year or have someone evaluate a portfolio of work to show progress. I used the CAT from Seton, which a homeschooler can administer to his/her own dc. It was cheap. One year my county offered group testing of the Stanford Achievement Test and we did that. Scores required are very low. The people I know who did the portfolio never had trouble with that option either. The evaluation, either by test or portfolio, is to show progress in reading or math, no other subjects.

 

This. Families who homeschool without claiming the religious exemption are subject to limited oversight--test scores, portfolios, whatever the state's requirements are. Families who homeschool under the religious exemption are, if I recall correctly, not subject to any form of oversight, including testing, portfolio review, etc.

[Lanny]

@betty and @Aiden    Thank you for your replies. I found them  very interesting, after reading that article earlier this morning.

[Hope44]

I've never claimed religious exemption here.  However, for those who do who live in Goochland county, it appears an attempt was made to call in high schoolers and have their religious feelings explained and explored by a school board.  To me, that is invasive and goes beyond the state home education laws.  

 

Still, there are some here who claim religious exemption and they don't want to have any oversight whatsoever.  I'm on the fence, truly, about this.  It would seem it allows negligent or worse parents to go under the radar.  However, this happens all of the time no matter what mode of educational choices is employed - public, private, or home education.  

 

In VA, if you have a college degree, you submit your (parent's) diploma,  yearly standardized testing scores, a list of classes to be covered, and a letter of intent every year.  It is even less if you are a certified teacher. I think in comparison with other states, VA is in the middle as far a strict regulations - certainly not as strict as Pennsylvania or I can't remember which New England state had really stringent regulations, but not as easy breezy as say, Texas.

[VaKim]

I homeschool in VA under RE. Under the law, the school boards do have the right to interview you and your children, and the law does state that the religious views be held by both parents and children. However, most school districts don't bother doing this. We have never had to do any such thing. 

 

[VaKim]

 

 

In VA, if you have a college degree, you submit your (parent's) diploma,  yearly standardized testing scores, a list of classes to be covered, and a letter of intent every year.  It is even less if you are a certified teacher. I think in comparison with other states, VA is in the middle as far a strict regulations - certainly not as strict as Pennsylvania or I can't remember which New England state had really stringent regulations, but not as easy breezy as say, Texas.

Actually, you only need a high school diploma.

 

And even without that, there is always this option:

 

 

 

Option (iv): Provides evidence of being able to provide an adequate education

To qualify under Option (iv), provide evidence that you are able to provide an adequate education for the child. Although this may seem daunting, in reality it is not.

According to Superintendents Memo No. 124, this evidence includes the following: “To assess a parent’s ability to provide an adequate education, the division superintendent should determine whether the information submitted exhibits a mastery of language by the writer; whether it includes plans for instructional activities; and whether it presents a reasonable scope and sequence of content that shows a broad overview of what the parent plans to teach the child during the school year.â€

There are no educational requirements for parents who file under Option (iv).

 

 

[Hope44]

That's true, you only need a high school diploma, but if I remember correctly, there is a little more to submit?  I've known quite a few families in my county who were interviewed, never the children, however.  Until about ten years ago, most people claiming religious exemption were interviewed.  I see it as a little archaic, but if the family changes their mind and wants to put their children in the public school system (and yes, I've known families who have done this), then I think interviews are helpful.  

 

 

[G5052]

The majority of homeschoolers do not file under religious exemption. It is a little more work up front and is open to interpretation by the local authorities, and many look at homeschooling as a year-to-year choice, not a religious conviction. Religious exemption is a one-time thing, although the school board has the right to call you back at any time.

 

There are quite a few options for both the Notice of Intent and Evidence of Progress http://vahomeschoolers.org/guide/home-instruction/. The diploma option actually requires only a high school diploma, and there are ways around that.  Same with the Evidence of Progress. Standardized testing is not the only choice, although most go that way.

 

In some cases folks don't register at all because they feel like even the religious exemption option involves telling more than they want known by the local school system.  That happens anywhere though.

 

[lllll]

..

[Butter]

That's true, you only need a high school diploma, but if I remember correctly, there is a little more to submit?

 

Nope.  The law changed quite some time ago.  I lived in VA at the time.  You only need to submit a copy of the high school diploma.  It's if you don't have a high school diploma that it takes more.

 

The Organization of VA Homeschoolers were warning people a lot of years ago to only take the religious exemption if you really qualified (bona fide religious beliefs objecting to compulsory attendance and oversight).  Most people who were claiming the RE actually just didn't like those things and so it was more of a philosophical or political reason which is specifically excluded by law.

 

The RE does use terminology that the student along with their parents must have these beliefs so technically what the district was doing wasn't *wrong* exactly according to the law.  The arbitrary age and actually being questioned seemed to be what people had a big issue with.

 

Getting the RE in the first place isn't as easy as just saying "I homeschool for religious reasons."  Though a lot of people on local homeschool groups (over a thousand miles from VA) and friends (who have never lived in VA) on Facebook seem to think it must be.  When I explain what the homeschooling laws in VA really look like and what the RE really is people are like, "Oh, that's not a huge deal after all."  Well, except for the lady who insists US Senators want to charge people who teach creationism to their kids with child abuse... still waiting on links/citations about that one...

[Butter]

 

You got lucky.  I have friends who were military and they never registered no matter what state they lived in.  They never got caught.  I did know someone (in VA) who was caught, though.  It was a mess.  CPS and the police were involved.  Not something I'd want my worst enemy to go through.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Susan Wise Bauer
Quote removed by request of OP

[TravelingChris]

I homeschooled for 2.5 years in Fairfax County, VA (Northern Virginia) and had no problems at all coming in the middle of the year and giving a general statement about how my girls were being homeschooled for my statement of intent.  Then I sent in tests with only the cumulative scores showing and all was fine.  The following two years, for my older daughter, I just used her ACT scores.  I even needed special paperwork for the Defense Department from them and had no problems.  

 

 

[lllll]

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[chiguirre]

I found this article interesting and I wonder if in VA it is necessary to file a religious exemption, under VA state law, to be able to HS?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/01/15/school-district-to-stop-interrogating-christian-homeschool-kids/

Wow, that's one seriously skewed article. They didn't even mention that you can homeschool without taking the religious exemption. That's a very big oversight given the reality of VA's rules!

[goldberry]

It kind of freaks me out that there would be no oversight whatsoever in any cases.  I'm sorry, probably not a popular opinion!

[Mergath]

nm

 

If a legal group advised me to violate the law in order to homeschool, I'd probably stop listening to them.  Homeschoolers bragging about how easy it was to ignore the laws for over a decade is the sort of thing that makes non-homeschoolers push for stricter regulations.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Mergath
Quote removed by request of OP

[lllll]

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[LucyStoner]

Seriously, do people not adhere to the (pretty darn easy) law so they can feel like maverick badasses? Well, it's not badass. It's just lame. What the heck could opening yourself to investigation like that possibly do? What purpose is served?

[Tess in the Burbs]

We lived in VA for 10 years.  And a lot of people I knew homeschooling wanted to do RE, but explained to me RE should be only used if your religion is against the use of schools.  If you died would your spouse put them in school? Is your child going to college later on? If so, you aren't really needing to be under RE.  It's for groups that would never put their kids in school due to their church/religion beliefs.  A LOT of people I know filed RE anyway.  We had 4 other options...one just being the high school diploma and a yearly test.  I was advised if I could homeschool under any other option to do it.  I know people who filed RE just to get out of the testing.  And if they start coming after the RE people to testify these beliefs I wouldn't be surprised to see that option go away due to so many who misused it.  I know more than one family that now has a kid in school..... I can't imagine the schools aren't noticing when a RE family enrolls a kid in school.  You know they are asking about testing...and they have none. I thought the news article wasn't done well since it didn't explain that RE allows them to interview the kids and the family has other options to file in VA. 

[Lady Florida.]

Homeschooling pioneers broke the law but many of them also helped to change the laws against homeschooling. Homeschooling has been legal in all 50 states for some time now, but some states have more regulation than others. I think trying to fly under the radar or claiming religious beliefs that you don't really hold,  just to escape your state's (general you) regulations is a slap in the face to those who put themselves at risk so we don't have to.

[MomsintheGarden]

We live in VA and didn't choose RE for several reasons.  First, I want the school board to see what we are doing in a controlled manner, when we send in our description of curriculum and yearly test scores.  I want them to see that a functional, normal family that values academics can homeschool successfully.  We also end up sending our dc to college (school) eventually, so I didn't feel comfortable filling out paperwork stating that we didn't believe in sending our dc to school.

[Mergath]

Homeschooling pioneers broke the law but many of them also helped to change the laws against homeschooling. Homeschooling has been legal in all 50 states for some time now, but some states have more regulation than others. I think trying to fly under the radar or claiming religious beliefs that you don't really hold,  just to escape your state's (general you) regulations is a slap in the face to those who put themselves at risk so we don't have to.

 

:iagree:  I totally understand the people who broke the law back when it was flat out illegal, or the law just didn't cover homeschooling.  I don't get the "I don't like the hsing law in my state so I'll just ignore it" people.  People who then brag about ignoring the homeschooling laws because, hey, they're done homeschooling their kids, so what does it matter if they're bringing more negative attention to homeschoolers?  

 

Most of the laws are pretty lax and easy to follow.  I don't understand people who would risk CPS investigations and worse so they don't have to send in a letter of intent or whatever.  If someone is trying to give the finger to the government on principle, they should do it in a way that doesn't put their children at risk.

 

:rant:

[G5052]

Most of the laws are pretty lax and easy to follow.  I don't understand people who would risk CPS investigations and worse so they don't have to send in a letter of intent or whatever.  If someone is trying to give the finger to the government on principle, they should do it in a way that doesn't put their children at risk.

 

 

 I agree, but I feel that the state does have some responsibility to ensure that the population has a certain level of education available to them.  I have no problem submitting a few basic details to them every year to show that I'm serious about home educating. Of course I could make it all up and lie, but there is a small check-and-balance there.

 

My unregistered acquaintances don't feel that the state has any business being involved in education, and that families are in charge of education, period.  Of course some don't register because they don't get around to it, but these are the deliberate ones.  And if they're ever caught, it turns into a truancy case before a judge who views non-registration as not schooling at all.  They don't give you time to file the paperwork and let you off.

[PeacefulChaos]

I'm actually a little... Idk the right word...leery? Unsure?... About the RE thing.

I definitely have known of people who used the RE option just to escape (what I consider reasonable) oversight. Some say they feel like God told them to homeschool, therefore it's their religious beliefs that led them to it, so they claim religious exemption. Many are like, 'Oh, just file under RE and then you never have to do anything (for the district) again!' My reading of the law didn't lead me to that conclusion; it seemed to me that one's beliefs have to be religiously, fundamentally opposed to kids going to school, and my beliefs aren't.

I file under the regular statute - hs diploma, list of subjects, test results. I would test the kids anyway, none of these things bother me. The score is supposed to be above the 23rd percentile, and if it isn't, there's a year to bring it up. After that I have no idea, I've never known anyone get to that point. My FIL did say one time that one nearby school district was 'overstepping it's bounds and trying to make (the daughter of one of his church members) go to public school! They just came out of nowhere!' And I'm obviously skeptical. If it got to that point then she had a year's notice that this could happen. But he's really anti-PS, so he just believed they were the 'bad guy'.

As for all the hoopla about this thing in Goochland, meh. Part of me sees what they were trying to do, because I'm really NOT 100% sure that it's a great idea to not regulate a certain sect of hs-ers. Some other homeschoolers in the state really take issue with the RE option. I'm not one of them, but I can see both sides.

[Tammi K]

 

In VA, if you have a college degree, you submit your (parent's) diploma,  yearly standardized testing scores, a list of classes to be covered, and a letter of intent every year.  It is even less if you are a certified teacher. I think in comparison with other states, VA is in the middle as far a strict regulations - certainly not as strict as Pennsylvania or I can't remember which New England state had really stringent regulations, but not as easy breezy as say, Texas.

 

I don't want to derail the OP's thread, but I am really curious about this.  I graduated from high school over 30 years ago. I have absolutely NO idea where my diploma is. I suspect it ended up in a landfill about 28 years ago.  How do you submit a diploma? 

[PeacefulChaos]

I sent in my transcript bc I couldn't find my diploma

[NavyMommy]

I think the issue  with the RE in VA is that it completely removes you from all oversight. I don't know if anyone remembers but there was a big NYT (I think) article probably a year ago with a young man who came out saying he received no education and was worried about his siblings still at home because they  weren't being educated. That family fell under the RE exemption in VA. I can see where the city  was coming from wanting to make sure this  isn't happening.

 

On the other hand I can understand not wanting my  child put  under the scrutiny of someone who I would assume is  against us and be grilled about their  religious beliefs. That seems like a government overstep, especially since they are still minors, and their parents word  should suffice.

 

So, like some others I can see both sides of it. We don't use the  RE in VA because honestly if something happened  to myself or DH they would probably go to school and we plan on them attending college which is a school. I do feel  that God has led  me to homeschool, but I don't feel He demands it  of me, if that makes sense. To me the RE is for those who  see no  other option.

 

I don't want to derail the OP's thread, but I am really curious about this.  I graduated from high school over 30 years ago. I have absolutely NO idea where my diploma is. I suspect it ended up in a landfill about 28 years ago.  How do you submit a diploma? 

 

Well I submitted a college transcript because I had no idea where my HS one was. I have heard of people calling their old  schools and getting transcript copies too. It also could be either you or your DH, it doesn't matter  who is actually doing the schooling, one parent just has to have a diploma of  some kind.

[Alice]

I don't want to derail the OP's thread, but I am really curious about this.  I graduated from high school over 30 years ago. I have absolutely NO idea where my diploma is. I suspect it ended up in a landfill about 28 years ago.  How do you submit a diploma? 

 

 

The first year I had to file I was all stressed because I couldn't find my high school or college diplomas but did have my medical school one. My poor patient dh finally looked at me and said "Send it in. Seriously. Let them try and argue with it." So I did. :) 

 

I think someone above mentioned it but I think this case is stemming from the NYT article and young man whose parents filed under RE and who has strongly written about how he believes he and his siblings were harmed. Whether or not he was or you agree with him, I think that's where the slightly stronger oversight of RE has come from. 

 

You also don't actually even have to test if you don't file under RE and don't believe in testing. You have three choices: 1) Standardized test with fairly low scores as the cutoff 2) Portfolio or 3) Evaluation by outside evaluator. For the last one it does not have to be a certified person, just someone who has a master's degree in an academic subject OR a current teaching license. By the letter of the law it could even be a parent. It's fairly easy to find professional evaluators, I see ads for them all the time in the spring. And it's also easy to ask a friend who meets the criteria to do it. All the evaluator has to say is that your student is "making sufficient progress". 

 

I'm actually not against all oversight. I personally think it benefits us as a society to have well-educated kids. But I think that the notion that the only way to file in VA is through RE is ludicrous. It's a choice that people make, but if they make it they are supposed to be able to defend it. 

[Butter]

I don't actually have a high school diploma (I was homeschooled - I suppose I could have had my mom make me one if necessary).  But I did have my diploma from graduating from nursing school.  I sent a copy of that and they did not have an issue with it.

[Farrar]

I don't want to derail the OP's thread, but I am really curious about this.  I graduated from high school over 30 years ago. I have absolutely NO idea where my diploma is. I suspect it ended up in a landfill about 28 years ago.  How do you submit a diploma? 

 

I live somewhere that also requires a high school diploma, GED or you can request an exemption. Everyone I know has sent something slightly different and everyone has been fine. I dug mine out of a box and snapped a picture and emailed it to the coordinator. But other people I know sent snapshots of college diplomas or photocopies of transcripts from various high school and post high school years and those were all accepted. I had to hold myself back from being a smartass and sending my masters diploma instead. At least here, it's a one time requirement. After that, it's on file that you did it and you don't have to do it again.

[Farrar]

As for the original issue, I'm extremely disappointed that they stopped bringing in the kids 14 and up. There have been other articles and cases from Virginia about kids who, as teens, were extremely embarrassed that they lacked basic skills and desperately wanted to go to school but the parents refused to let them and used the RE law a cover for not schooling. Bringing the teen in once a year to simply say, do you still hold these beliefs, do you want to attend school, is a really minimally invasive thing overall. While not everyone here agrees, I think that teens who wish to attend school should have the right to do so aside from parental wishes.

[I talk to the trees]

As for the original issue, I'm extremely disappointed that they stopped bringing in the kids 14 and up. There have been other articles and cases from Virginia about kids who, as teens, were extremely embarrassed that they lacked basic skills and desperately wanted to go to school but the parents refused to let them and used the RE law a cover for not schooling. Bringing the teen in once a year to simply say, do you still hold these beliefs, do you want to attend school, is a really minimally invasive thing overall. While not everyone here agrees, I think that teens who wish to attend school should have the right to do so aside from parental wishes.

 

If that's the case, why single out homeschoolers? Shouldn't we be asking each and every student what their educational preference is, and requiring that parents abide by their children's wishes? (Yes, I know. The NEA will never allow that.) My parents didn't allow me to pursue dual enrollment at the local CC during high school, but I so wish they had. I wasted far too much time and energy dealing with a handful of mean girls, and sincerely wish I could have concentrated my efforts on learning.

[Farrar]

If that's the case, why single out homeschoolers? Shouldn't we be asking each and every student what their educational preference is, and requiring that parents abide by their children's wishes? (Yes, I know. The NEA will never allow that.) My parents didn't allow me to pursue dual enrollment at the local CC during high school, but I so wish they had. I wasted far too much time and energy dealing with a handful of mean girls, and sincerely wish I could have concentrated my efforts on learning.

 

If teens have another educational option such as the choice between two different charter schools, then yes, I think they should similarly be able to decide or have a major role in the decision. However, I don't think it's right to force any family to pay for private schooling or to homeschool. If a teen wishes to unschool or homeschool themselves, I suppose they can drop out. I don't think parents should be required to support that.

 

However, using the religious exemption law to cover educational neglect is a sad fact of life for too many kids. It's not the norm, but it definitely happens. This is potentially one lifeline out of it. I think any rights that are supposedly be trampled upon as the Fox piece above implied is extremely minor when compared to a teen who is stuck without educational options or opportunities until they're able to leave home.

[Hope44]

We live in VA and didn't choose RE for several reasons.  First, I want the school board to see what we are doing in a controlled manner, when we send in our description of curriculum and yearly test scores.  I want them to see that a functional, normal family that values academics can homeschool successfully.  We also end up sending our dc to college (school) eventually, so I didn't feel comfortable filling out paperwork stating that we didn't believe in sending our dc to school.

This is us exactly.  Sometimes, my kids even attend community college while in high school.  So, I don't think that I would ever want to do the RE choice.  One piece of frustration are the homeschooling families who waffle back and forth, but claim RE.  One year they're homeschooling, the next year they're in public school for a few months then back to homeschooling, then the next year private school.  I realize every year tends to be different for most people and I have friends who have kids in all kinds of school settings.  I want to just tell them "If you are not ever sure what you are doing for their entire schooling duration, then please don't claim RE!"

[MomsintheGarden]

One piece of frustration are the homeschooling families who waffle back and forth, but claim RE.

 

I get frustrated with the waffling as well.  I understand completely that situations can change, but I've seen children get confused and demotivated by waffling if it goes on for more than a year or two.

[Reefgazer]

Mine was lost, too.  I was able to also go back to the high school from which I graduated and got a copy of my transcript and that was sufficient.  You can also submit a college diploma/degree.

I don't want to derail the OP's thread, but I am really curious about this.  I graduated from high school over 30 years ago. I have absolutely NO idea where my diploma is. I suspect it ended up in a landfill about 28 years ago.  How do you submit a diploma? 

 

[Kletterin]

You don't need a religious exemption to homeschool, just a letter of intent and a few misc things. Check out heav.org for more details.

[Kletterin]

I'm not sure... The overwhelming majority of parents care deeply about their children and would move the proverbial Heaven and Earth to protect them from harm. There are a lot of scary stories out there these days about over-zealous and above-the-law CPS staffers taking kids away and horrible things happening to them in state custody. I have relatives in social services and while there are some bad cases out there, overall, parents should be given the benefit of the doubt when nurturing their kids. This isn't the most popular view, perhaps, but I'd be very cautious before advocating for parents to have less say over the guidance and teaching of their children. I also spent several years teaching in the former East Germany, and many of my students had had reason to fear intrusion into parental rights during that period. That's not something I'll ever forget...

[Kletterin]

For my part, I'd rather submit to that scenario than take away the rights of the RE parents. I understand how frustrating it is to have a double standard, though.

[Kletterin]

I'd actually like to see the standards be lessened for all parents. Virtually all parents can be trusted to educate their children. And studies back up the efficacy of home schooling vs. public/private schooling. No one is going to be more concerned about the educational attainments of the children than their own parents. I understand arguments to the contrary, I just have seen so much in education and have been so disillusioned. I come from a long line of teachers, public and private, K-Ivy League. I'm just not convinced that children will do less well with their parents as their teachers and guides than a teacher in another setting, who, unless they channel Helen Keller's Anne Sullivan and have no other duties, won't be able to replace the unique contribution of a parent as educator.

 

I'm new to homeschooling, by the way, and have been absolutely loving teaching my cherubs. Isn't it wonderful to be able to do so?!

Thanks for your comments in this post. One doesn't often verbalize these things.

Have a good weekend!

[G5052]

But then why have two rules - one for secular homeschoolers and one for religious homeschoolers ? I guess secular homeschoolers don't have Heaven on their side :) But seriously...it's nuts to think one set of parents need oversight and one set doesn't!

 

Yes, that's always bothered me too.  Why does a religious person have more "weight" when it comes to homeschooling?  And how religious is religious enough to file under RE?

 

Some of the people I know who file RE are very emphatic that religious belief makes them trustworthy homeschoolers.  Does it?  I know of quite a few cases of significant educational neglect who filed under RE.

 

And yes, the law basically says that RE families aren't subject to school attendance.  That's all.  Their ability to home educate and the results they obtain aren't part of it at all.

 

Several interesting link below.  RE has been around for a long time.

 

http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/7000_Children_and_Counting.pdf

 

http://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/histories-of-homeschooling/a-history-of-homeschooling-in-virginia/

[TravelingChris]

It has to do with amish and people like that who in their religious beliefs don't believe in high school education/

[PeacefulChaos]

Yes, that's always bothered me too.  Why does a religious person have more "weight" when it comes to homeschooling?  And how religious is religious enough to file under RE?

 

Some of the people I know who file RE are very emphatic that religious belief makes them trustworthy homeschoolers.  Does it?  I know of quite a few cases of significant educational neglect who filed under RE.

 

And yes, the law basically says that RE families aren't subject to school attendance.  That's all.  Their ability to home educate and the results they obtain aren't part of it at all.

 

Several interesting link below.  RE has been around for a long time.

 

http://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/7000_Children_and_Counting.pdf

 

http://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/histories-of-homeschooling/a-history-of-homeschooling-in-virginia/

Upon reading the first link, my thought is really that this was written by, what... a few college kids?  Or something?  I can't speak as to whether or not they had a bias against RE, but why even do anything on it if it wasn't something that one of them looked at and thought 'This is terrible!  Look at how bad it is!' etc.  ... which leads me to believe that it was written from a point of view that was against RE from the start.  Not necessarily balanced.

I mean, what would more oversight really do?  What's the point?  

Basically it boils down to this for me: These school districts and superintendents need to take care of what they already have in their schools before they go off and worry about the fraction of homeschoolers who they don't have oversight over.  I wish I could find a number of how many students there are, total, in the state of VA, attending public or private school.  Even just public.  The system is failing a  good number of those students, but they're going to worry about these?  

I'm kind of meh about RE, but it sort of annoys me that there sometimes seems to be more interest on the part of the schools in meddling in homeschooling affairs than in actually running their own system smoothly or trying to bring their own schools up to par.  It frustrates me.  A lot.