Posted by Peter B. Hrycenko on November 12 2005 at 06:23:38:
In Reply to: Re: careful on this ... posted by Carol on November 11 2005 at 22:15:11:
Hi Carol, and thank you for the years of work on this and homeschooling in general.
I wish I could post my old op-ed from The Morning Call from April 2003 addressing a little on requirements. I gave a copy by chance to our Howard while in Harrisburg on Thursday. Anyway, here goes.
PIAA requirements are being met for homeschoolers every day already involved in equal access at their local public schools. (PIAAīs Brad Cashman testified at the 1/9/02 House hearing that equal access is working fine and had no horrors to report.)
So you may ask, what about even the districts that have had no written policy?
They meet the PIAA regs because THE GOVERNMENT ENTRUSTS HOMESCHOOL EDUCATORS WITH THE ACADEMICS AND ATTENDANCE ISSUES.
(THIS GOES BACK TO THE VERY BASIS FOR HOMESCHOOL LAW AND TO USA COURT CASES INVOLVING PARENTS SUING SCHOOLS FOR EDUCATIONAL MALPRACTICE WHEREBY COURTS ALWAYS RULED AGAINST THE PARENTS SAYING THE PARENTS ARE PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR CHILDīS EDUCATION. I ASKED A NEW ENGLAND STATEīS EDUCATION DEPT SOLICITOR HOW DID HE FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH EQUAL ACCESS LIKE THAT -- HE SAID THE WORD IS "TRUST", YOU HAVE TO TRUST THE HOME EDUCATOR ON HIS OR HER WORD, FOR WITH HOMESCHOOLING THERE IS NO OTHER WAY.)
IN CASES OF DISTRICTS WITH NO WRITTEN EQUAL ACCESS POLICY, THERE IS NOTHING MORE FOR THE HOME EDUCATOR TO DO. THAT SIMPLE. THE HOMESCHOOL FAMILY JUST CONTINUES TO FOLLOW GENERAL HOMESCHOOL LAW IN THEIR HOME EDUCATION. THE DISTRICTS DONīT BOTHER THEM.
NOW, IN THE CASE OF SOME DISTRICTS THAT WANTED MORE, THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ASKS FOR THE HOME EDUCATORīS WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT THE STUDENT IS PASSING IN AT LEAST 4 MAJOR SUBJECTS, OR AS YOU KNOW, SOME DISTRICTS HAVE BEEN REQUIRING THEIR HOME EDUCATOR TO SUBMIT A WEEKLY GRADE SHEET -- THE GRADE SHEET I BELIEVE IS SUPERFLUOUS, UNNECESSARY, BUT I ACKNOWLEDGE HAS BEEN TRADITION IN SOME DISTRICTS. I WOULD DISCOURAGE SUBMITTING GRADE SHEETS IN A POLICY.
BY THE WAY, A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER ONCE TOLD ME HIS SCHOOL DIDNīT BOTHER SUBMITTING WEEKLY PROGRESS SHEETS ON THEIR OWN PUBLIC SCHOOL ATHLETES UNLESS THE ATHLETE WAS IN DANGER ACADEMICALLY.
WE SHOULDNīT PSYCHE OURSELVES OUT ABOUT TRYING TO ANTICIPATE FAILURE FOR OUR HOME EDUCATORS; THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE THEMSELVES TO PERFORM AND GET RESULTS. TO OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLSī CREDIT, EQUAL ACCESS HAS WORKED IN OPEN DISTRICTS THUS FAR ON THE "TRUST" I MENTIONED. THERE HAS BEEN NO OTHER WAY POSSIBLE.
STATES LIKE ARIZONA, WASHINGTON AND OREGON HAVE VIRTUALLY NO OVERSIGHT ON THEIR HOMESCHOOLERS YET THEY HAVE STATEWIDE EQUAL ACCESS... HOW DO THEY DO IT? TOM LEWIS OF ARIZONA FAMILIES FOR HOME EDUCATION ONCE TOLD ME IT IS ALL IN THE MIND, THAT YOU MUST "THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX".
AND BECAUSE HOMESCHOOLING IS HARD WORK THAT MANY OF US HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT, WE HAVE EARNED THE PUBLICīS TRUST.
I HAVE TO KEEP SAYING, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO KEEP EQUAL ACCESS AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE OUR ENEMIES WOULD LOVE CONFUSION AND MORE BUREAUCRACY.