Time to let the superintendent know that I will be homeschooling C. Anyone that knows me knows that I have a major philosophical issue with having to report to the local school district. After all, I feel it is my right as a parent to educate my children. The superintendent knows absolutely nothing about my children and what their educational needs are, and I feel very strongly that they have no business being involved in our lives. One reason I homeschool is so that my children will not be subject to the government-run public education system, with its one-size-fits-all standards and fill-in-the-circle testing. (No offense to anyone involved in the public education system - there are many dedicated professionals who do wonderful things, my Dad being one of the best examples.) Anyway, I am at least glad that Massachusetts is minimally involved with us so far, as the superintendent in our school district seems pretty mellow so far.
At any rate, for those of you who might be interested in homeschooling and don't know where to start, this is the perfect website to help you write your Letter of Intent to Homeschool. It explains what you have to provide and what you should not. For example, you should not provide a written explanation of the details of curriculum, including daily schedules, nor should you fill out any forms the school district may send you. You should include sentences such as "I am of competent ability and sound morals" and "we will equal in thoroughness and efficiency the school year of the public schools. Its length will be between 180 and 365 days and we will meet or exceed the required 900 hours of instruction."
If you district gives you any trouble, definitely quote the Charles decision and get in touch with MHLA if you need to.
Good luck to all new homeschoolers this year, now I am off to put my LOI in the mail.
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2 comments:
Interesting! My SIL homeschools in Ohio and has to do something similar. We're lucky, Indiana is extremely easy to hs in, I don't have to do anything but keep attendance records.
It amazes me how the laws are so different from state to state. Like here in IL I don't "have" to keep records or report to anyone. Of course I DO keep records, but it still amazes me.
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