Homeschooling legal question

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nana3

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Does anyone here use Seton Home Study School to homeschool their children? If you do and are registered with your county, do you get a certified teacher to do your evaluation or just submit the letter from Seton.

I live in Florida and according to our homeschooling laws, a certified teacher needs to do the evaluation. Seton said that is not entirely true. They sent me a letter to submit to my county and mention Exemption B (b) (ii) of the Compulsory School attendance law, 18-8-1. Everything that I have found on this is related to the state of Virginia, where Seton is located. Will this be fine for Florida? Seton said they have not had problems in the past. I just worry for earlier in the school year, the county told me that it must be a certified Florida teacher. Others in my homeschool support group and who are enrolled in Seton, are not bothering with Seton and getting the evaluation done by a certified FL teacher. I just wonder if this law mentioned above will fly with my county. Has anyone had this problem?
 
I am not a fan of the HSLDA, nana, so I am going to disagree. It’s my opinion, please don’t start asking me about the HSLDA. The thread is for nana to find information on what Florida counties require, or how to exempt around them.

Instead, I am going to send you to The American Homeschool Association:
americanhomeschoolassociation.org/
I find the Kasemans more informed, and more willing to work with ALL homeschoolers. I also find them less inclined to want more legislation.

Remember, nana, that every state is different when it comes to home education. You’ll get at least 50 answers. You could also call Seton and ask them point-blank how to use the exemption form they’ve sent you, as it all about Virginia (I’m willing to bet it has something to with Seton being in Virginia, and therefore as an umbrella school located in Virginia, exempt from Florida regulation- but again, that’s conjecture).
 
Well, I would think that you would occasionally want to have the education of your kids observed/validated/critiqued/evaluated by a certified teacher. What’s the big deal, other than the cost?
 
kage_ar said:
Contact HSLDA.

hslda.org/hs/state/FL/default.asp
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I did check out hslda and they do have that exemption, but it is for Virginia. I will word the letter I received from Seton for all to read:

"To Whom It May Concern:

In accordance with the requirements set forth under Exemption B (b) (ii) of the Compulsory School Attendance Law, 18-8-1, this narrative is to indicate that the portfolio for the work of ------- (student) has been reviewed and her academic performance for the year is in accordance to her ability."
 
OutinChgoburbs said:
I am not a fan of the HSLDA, nana, so I am going to disagree. It’s my opinion, please don’t start asking me about the HSLDA. The thread is for nana to find information on what Florida counties require, or how to exempt around them.

Instead, I am going to send you to The American Homeschool Association:
americanhomeschoolassociation.org/
I find the Kasemans more informed, and more willing to work with ALL homeschoolers. I also find them less inclined to want more legislation.

Remember, nana, that every state is different when it comes to home education. You’ll get at least 50 answers. You could also call Seton and ask them point-blank how to use the exemption form they’ve sent you, as it all about Virginia (I’m willing to bet it has something to with Seton being in Virginia, and therefore as an umbrella school located in Virginia, exempt from Florida regulation- but again, that’s conjecture).
Click to expand...
Thank you, I will check them out too. You do have a good point in the maybe Seton is considered the umbrella school for us. I never thought of that. Before I send this letter out to my county, I will call Seton tomorrow. I did talk to a Seton lawyer about this two months ago and he assured me that the letter I will get at the end of the year will suffice, but that if my county did not approve, to get a hold a HSLDA for help in the legal matter.
 
PaulinVA said:
Well, I would think that you would occasionally want to have the education of your kids observed/validated/critiqued/evaluated by a certified teacher. What’s the big deal, other than the cost?
Click to expand...
I just didn’t want to go this route, but if I had to I would. The cost is not that much. I heard most teachers charge $20.00. I was just assured by Seton that I did not have to go that route. So far everyone in my homeschool support group are going with a certified teacher, but they don’t use Seton or live in my county. I heard that some counties are more strict and others not so strict.

All I know is that the letter of evaluation that my county sent me left out another alternative to be evaluation and the Seton lawyer said that was illegal. I did check the laws in Florida and sure enough, the county left out the last option for evaluation.

I just want to be sure and not make a mistake. Maybe, I am making more of this then I need to. I guess I can send this out to the county and if they don’t like it and insist on a Florida certified teacher, I will just get one and have he or her fill out the evaluation.

I was just curious about this Exemption B. I found that in HSLDA, but not (b) (ii) part of it.

By the way, certified teachers do look at my dd works for she has to take test online and I have to submit book reports that she does and paragraphs. So there are certified teachers monitoring her work to see if she is up to her grade level. The lowest grade she received from them is one D. So there are teachers looking at her work too and it is not all just my word that she is doing well. She also took a CAT achievement test and did very well too.
 
nana3 said:
By the way, certified teachers do look at my dd works for she has to take test online and I have to submit book reports that she does and paragraphs. So there are certified teachers monitoring her work to see if she is up to her grade level. The lowest grade she received from them is one D. So there are teachers looking at her work too and it is not all just my word that she is doing well. She also took a CAT achievement test and did very well too.
Click to expand...
Oh. I thought you were talking about an evaluation of your teaching methods and curriculum, not her final work product.
 
I just talked to Seton and they said that this letter is a letter quoting the law nationwide and not to worry. So I will send it to the county, certified mail as they request.

Thanks so much for all your advice and wisdom. Love you all and this site.
 
PaulinVA said:
Well, I would think that you would occasionally want to have the education of your kids observed/validated/critiqued/evaluated by a certified teacher. What’s the big deal, other than the cost?
Click to expand...
Please, in the interest of getting the OP’s question answered, and not dragging this thread down into a homeschool debate, could you consider making this question into another thread?

It’s a fair and reasonable question, and there are lots of fair and reasonable people on this forum to give you answers from both sides of the issue- but it endangers this particular thread.

Thanks!
 
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