Abuses by Schools

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Adams County/Ohio Valley Schools: The notification form provided by the school goes beyond the regulations in several areas. They are: It is called an "Application Form." Parents do not have to "apply" to homeschool their children! It is supposed to be a Notification Form! Spaces that ask for telephone numbers do not indicate that providing a telephone number is optional! The form asks what school and grade the child would be in if attending the public school. This does not need to be supplied. The form requires the parent to sign twice; once for the assurance of 900 hours of instruction, and second for affirmation of everything else. One signature is all that is required. The form asks which qualification the home teacher holds (high school diploma, certificate of high school equivalence, etc.). This is not allowed. The parent must only affirm that the home teacher has one of the qualifications, not which one. Brown County Schools: The Brown County ESC provides a blank notification form to parents who request one. However, this form asks for information that the parent is not required to provide. The following is a list of items where the information sent by the Brown County ESC is at variance with the regulations: The cover letter states, "A completed 'Home Education Notification Form'" must be submitted before the Brown County ESC will issue an excuse. No form can be required. A letter including the required information would be sufficient. The form requires that the home educator indicate which of the listed qualifications the home educator possesses (high school diploma, certificate of high school equivalence, etc.). Superintendents may not request copies of a home teacher's credentials (see the 1993 letter to superintendents from the State board of Education). The parent must only indicate that they have one of the qualifications, not which one. If the home teacher lacks all of the listed qualifications, then a person who holds a baccalaureate degree from a recognized college may assist in home education. This person and an address would be listed in #3. However, the Brown County form asks for the name of the college and the year that the degree was conferred. There is no provision in the Ohio Administrative Code (referred to throughout the form as "OSBE Rules") for a superintendent to request this information. Not to mention the misspelling of "PURSUANT" as "PURSURANT" at the top of the notification form. If a home educator submits a form with a misspelling of this nature on it, some superintendents have been known to try to use this as a reason to deny excuse from compulsory attendance. The letter that is sent back to parents who have notified the County Superintendent of their choice to home educate is at variance with the regulations in several places. These are: The letter is titled "Approval of Request." Notifications are not requests that can be approved or denied. The superintendent's duty is to check whether the notification is in compliance with the law. The letter states that the excuse is effective from the date of signature until June 1, 2001. According to the Administrative Code, the excuse is effective from the date the notification was received by the Superintendent for the remainder of the school year, not this arbitrary date stated by the Superintendent. The letter states that the excuse is effective... "until such a time it is determined that the student(s) is/are not following the Approved Program of Home Schooling or the cessation of proper Home Schooling, at which time this excuse will become void." The Administrative Code is very clear about the procedure for revoking an excuse. First of all, the phrase "Approved Program" does not mean the exact curriculum outline submitted for informational purposes only. The only reason a superintendent may initiate proceedings to revoke an excuse is "substantial evidence of cessation of home education in accordance with... Chapter [3301-34]," and a due process hearing must be held before the excuse can be revoked. Highland County Schools: UPDATE #2!! - We have received our new home education excuse letter! It is beautifully written and signed by the right person! We received this letter around September 29, 2000 - while we were away on vacation. A big letter of thanks and appreciation is on its way to Superintendent, Mr. Bob Dalton. UPDATE!! - We have received a call from the Fayette-Clinton-Highland Superintendent on September 12, informing us that their office is conducting an investigation to determine what they need to change in their process to bring it into complaince with Ohio regulations. After this investigation, new excusal letters will be issued to all homeschooling families in these counties who notify through the FCH Educational Service Center! As of Friday, September 22, no new information has been received.

• Middletown City Schools in Butler County:
  
  • A story from a woman who moved into the Middletown City School District...."In accordance with the OAC Section (F), I called my old superintendent and told them I was moving to Middletown. They then faxed all my paperwork to Middletown City Schools. A few days later, the Attendance Officer was knocking on my mom's door telling her that I had to register my kids for school. My mother told her that I was homeschooling. The Attendance Officer said, "She still needs to come down and fill out our paperwork.". So, a three days later, I go to the Administrative Office and they send me back to the Curriculum Office. The woman, BG, tells me that she has not received any information on me or my children. I tell her the Attendance Officer showed up and she nodded. BG shoves a form infront of me telling me, "This is our standard form." I shake my head, "You should have my paperwork. My educational service center said they faxed it." She said, "No, I don't have it. Here, have them fax it to me in care of me at this number." She hands me a paper. I leave shaking my head and leaving their "standard form" on the desk. SO BE WARNED! Middletown City School District will try to go beyond the law.
  • The "standard form" asks for