Educational Neglect: What you Should Knowby Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger 22 Jul 2006 09:00 AM Some people who home school barely hear from their school districts and merrily go about their educational path until they stop home schooling. But for others, dealing with the board of education is a nightmare. Although home schooling your child is your right, protected by the 14th amendment, the board of education does not necessarily see it this way. Now let me say that for every person who is harassed by social services or the board of education, there are about 10 more who are not. However, for those families who have had problems with these agencies, the experience is stressful to say the very least. Did you know that if you are accused of educational neglect, the charge can stick in the central registry for 1-2 years depending on where in the country you are? It is my understanding, also, that the registry doesn't necessarily list WHY you are listed as an abuser or child neglecter--just that you are! With that said, here is a list of things to keep in mind if you ever have issues: 1. Keep up with Your Paperwork. You really want to avoid getting social services involved in your lives. Districts make mistakes and so keeping up with your paper work is not fool proof. On the other hand, CPS is a lot less likely to find you if your paperwork is turned in and is turned in on time. 2. Get a Return Receipt for Whatever You Send This is common sense, but most people assume that it will get there. If you deliver it in person, get a person to sign a piece of paper that says they received your paperwork. If they refuse to sign anything, then you need to call a lawyer. 3. Keep copies of Your Paperwork Keep copies of everything! I keep copies of everything I send, on a CD. This way, it won't take up quite so much space but I still have all my records. Keeping a copy of a transcript, an evaluation, or something is a good idea anyways. 4. Know the Law You will do yourself a huge favor if you know the law. A lot of problems can be fixed with the district before CPS gets involved with a simple phone call. No need to be pushy or rude, you can simply state what section of the law you are operating under. 5. Don't Believe the Board of Education If you live in a state that is highly regulated, it is fairly common for officials within the Board of Education to give you a false list of things to do. In most cases, these false "to do" lists are a result of someone having a meeting without referring to your state's regulations. Just because someone at the board of education says you have to do it. . .don't do it unless it fits within your understanding of the law. If you're not sure, contact a state home schooling support group. 6. If CPS Comes Over--Be Rude and Don't Answer the Door You are not required by law to open the door to anyone without a search warrant. There are a few cases where a social service worker may be very pushy, but you don't have to let them in. If you don't know how to answer them, you don't even have to open the door. 7. Don't Give them Too MuchAgain, the board of education at times asks things that are simply not required. It is a favor to the home schooling community if we stick together and follow the regulations, but not hand in more than we have to. This makes it easier for families to comply with regulations and helps the district to follow state laws rather than make up their own. Learn more about Valorie Delp  Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line. Relevanthomeschooling tags User Comments  Nicole Humphrey (15757) 23 Jul 2006 05:21 AMWe were one of the lucky ones. When I homeschooled my son, our district just let us be. I eventually put him back in school and was terrified that it was going to be a problem, but was lucky it wasn't. However, during the long course of homeschooling, we met many other parents who's districts were less accomodating. Many struggled to get their children back in school. Many struggled to prove to the district that their children were learning. Keeping careful records is key! Sherry Holetzky (11404) 23 Jul 2006 11:24 AMGood article! Here is a great resource, The Home School Legal Defence Association (HSLDA). http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1 They offer a lot of information, have helped many families, are very active policitically, and also offer tools and information that is of use to ANY family falsely accused of abuse/neglect.  Valorie Delp (49340) 23 Jul 2006 08:19 PMThanks for the info on HSLDA. I have linked them in several of my articles but for some reason forgot to do it in this one. I'll have to go back and fix that. Valorie Delp (49340) 23 Jul 2006 08:20 PMOur district does not bother us too much either. BUT our pastor's family, who had been homeschooling for 13 years at the time that this happened spent about 2 weeks being harassed by a truancy officer. It's just scary to think that your children can be taken away from you for you doing what you think is best for them. pickettgirl (5) 12 Jan 2008 01:36 PMThe problem with homeschooling is people who are abusing, neglecting their children, don't have to send them to school and the child stays helplessly in the home, while their parents pretend to do school, and get away with real "educational neglect." The system needs to be set up so that someone test the actual child every couple of months or so or at least once or twice a year, and they should test them in front of a qualified teacher, to make sure the parents aren't doing the work. I've seen parents who are homeschooling their kids and are actually not homeschooling them, but, getting away with abuse, and there is nothing anyone can do because of the homeschool laws. SICK. Lets bring attention to this issue. Yes, the majority are homeschooling but what about the few that are left out in the cold? Allowing parents to neglect these kids? Yet, if you keep a child out of school for 3 days or more to visit their grandmother, you get in trouble. Makes no sense. Only in America. Valorie Delp (49340) 13 Jan 2008 04:52 PMI certainly don't condone anyone who says they are homeschooling and then doesn't do anything with their child. However, I could take every argument you've made and point to the public school system as well. In fact, a court recently made a ruling saying that the "public school system has no obligation to educate." That's verbatim. So I ask you this: what about the children. . .and thousands of them, that are slipping through the cracks in the public school system? What are we doing about those kids? Testing that frequently is not only ridiculous, it's unnecessary and would be a serious waste of resources that could otherwise go to helping kids who are actually slipping through the cracks. You're welcome to come back and discuss the issue. . .but please, do some research first. States don't have laws that protect homeschoolers. They have educational laws. . .and CPS on occassion harasses families who homeschool. Not without a fight will someone take away my right to educate MY children bc my neighbor is a bad parent. lilgoatlady (5) 16 Jan 2008 11:33 AMI think that pickettgirl is rightly concerned about children's safety, and certainly there are homeschooling parents who are among the "lunatic fringe". That being said, when one considers the emotional and even physical bullying, abuse, name-calling, humiliation and sexual harrassment that occur daily at any given school, then I think the concern might be slightly misplaced. As far as educational neglect is concerned, I think the record of the American public school system speaks for itself on that point. The modern U.S. public school is geared to producing lots of mediocre scholars who feel good about themselves and "fit in" with our culture, but are skilled for little more than menial jobs. (When I worked, I used to interview high school and even college graduates who could not write a clear sentence, couldn't spell or count change.) My family will always legally contend for the right to NOT have to send our child to an institution that 1) will teach her to mock and disrespect us and our moral/religious beliefs 2) will probably give her at BEST a second-rate education and 3) will teach her either pride in the fact that she learns certain subjects more quickly than others or humiliate her in with the message that she's "dumb" 4) will make her more vulnerable to advertisers, brand names, and will encourage premature sexuality and materialism 5) will encourage her at an early age to adopt an unChristian "survival of the fittest" mentality regarding others 6) and will expose her to emotional and physical abuse and possibly attack. I think that to send a helpless child to such an institution would be REAL neglect, if not abuse. katie124374 (5) 12 Mar 2008 05:11 AMPlease help! I am very new to this and need support and advice. I just turned in my letter of intent a couple of says ago and now I'm losing sleep and having such anxiety over so many issues...such as CPS and "what if they...?" I am in Yonkers NY and desperately need to connect with someone who has delat with NYS. I intend to homeschool only one of my 4 children, who is absuloutely miserable in hs and wants me to do this with her. I want to make this work, also, nut now I'm having second thoughts and stresssing out, hoping I don't fail her as well as get in major trouble. Sorry for the long post. Community Tags board of education, education, homeschooling, homeschool, school district Discuss this article
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