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Free to Choose:
Home education
opportunities
through private schools or home schooling under county
supervision.
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There are many things about
home schooling that make it an
exceptional educational choice. Flexibility is one of
them. There is no single "right way" to home
school. Instead there are a multitude of successful home
education choices and styles. Home schooling allows
parents to fully customize their instructional approach,
transforming it into the absolute best fit for their
family. No other educational option has as high a
potential for flexibility as home education does. Home schooling
represents unrivaled educational freedom. What an
incredible blessing!
While there are
a number of ways for parents to teach their own children.
The most familiar is home schooling under county supervision.
Another option is to home educate through
private schools that offer such an opportunity. The legalities are different for each
option.
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Families who home
educate under county supervision are
obligated to meet the requirements of Florida Home
Education Statutes. Families who home educate through
private schools are subject only to the requirements of
their chosen private school. Except for a small number of
state-mandated
responsibilities, each private school is able
to set its own requirements. Parents are free to choose
which home-based private school will best help them
achieve the educational goals they have set for their
family.
The ways and means of home
education through either option
can remain very much the same. For instance in both
situations all or most of the schooling is directed by the
parent; curriculum choices for both options can run the
gamut from very traditional and structured, to relaxed or
student led; both options allow for group activities and
events; both choices allow high school age students to
dual
enroll or participate in Florida
Virtual School and both afford opportunities for
scholarships.
There are other similarities and differences. Please
feel
free to ask any questions you may have about home schooling through a private school, or home schooling
under county supervision.
To find additional Florida home-based private school
information we highly recommend a visit to the
FCCPSA
site. The
Florida
Homeschooling: Private school directory and the Parent
Directed Education: Private schools for homeschoolers web
sites also hold information of interest.
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Home Education Through a Private
School
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Homes Education Under County
Supervision
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If you decide to home
educate your child
through a private school offering that option,
you must:
1) Send a
records
transfer request to your child's previous school, (or send
a notice of termination to the county Superintendent's
office if your child was home schooling under the county).
2) Complete and send all
forms required by the private school along with any
enrollment and student fees.
3) Maintain and send
attendance reports for your child in accordance with
whatever attendance method the private school requires.
4) Comply with any
assessment provisions the private school has in place.
5) Meet any other
requirements outlined in the school's policies.
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lf you decide to notify the
county that you will be establishing a home education
program for your child, you must:
1) Send a written
Letter
of Intent to home educate to the Superintendent of
your school district.
2) Maintain a portfolio
of records for each child you home school, which you must
retain for two years.
3) Make your child's
portfolio available for inspection if you receive a 15-day
written notice from the county Superintendent.
4) Submit your child’s
evaluation results to the Superintendent's office once a
year, by the anniversary date that you sent your Letter of
Intent.
5) Notify the
Superintendent when you terminate your home school
program.
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top
of page
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Printable checklist
for this option
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Printable checklist
for this option
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Note:
Each private school
will have its own requirements. Some prescribe testing or
that a certain curriculum be used. Many do not. It is
important to carefully interview private school
administrators offering a home schooling option. Don't
stop searching until you find a school that seems the
best fit
for your family’s
needs.
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Note:
Remember to send your
Letter of Intent by registered mail and to mark the date
it was received by the Superintendent (or his agent) on
your yearly calendar. The date it was received is the
deadline for sending in your child's annual evaluation
results.
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MorningStar
School Contact Information
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"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6
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