Compulsory School Age
South Carolina
http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=SC
"five years of age before September first until . . . seventeenth birthday or" graduation from high school; five-year-olds may be excused from kindergarten with submission of written notice to the school district Option: 1 Option: 2 Option: 3 Legal Option: Establish and operate a home school as approved by the local school board Establish and operate a home school under the membership auspices of the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS) Establish and operate a home school under the membership auspices of an association for home schools with no fewer than fifty members Attendance: 180 days per year, 4˝ hours per day 180 days per year 180 days per year Subjects: Reading, writing, math, science, and social studies; also composition and literature in grades 7-12 Reading, writing, math, science, and social studies; also composition and literature in grades 7-12 Reading, writing, math, science, and social studies; also composition and literature in grades 7-12 Qualifications: High school diploma or GED or a baccalaureate degree High school diploma or GED High school diploma or GED Notice: None None None Recordkeeping: Maintain evidence of regular instruction including a record of subjects taught, activities in which the student and parent engage, a portfolio of the child’s work, and a record of academic evaluations, with a semiannual progress report None Maintain evidence of regular instruction including a record of subjects taught, activities in which the student and parent engage, and a portfolio of the child’s work, with a semiannual progress report Testing: Participate in the annual statewide testing program and the Basic Skills Assessment Program None None
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Compulsory Attendance and Home School Laws - http://www.christianity.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID3625|CHID102022|CIID149468,00.html
GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE KEN WINGATE CALLS FOR PROTECTION OF HOME SCHOOL INDEPENDENCE
Gubernatorial candidate Ken Wingate today called for immediate action to protect the independence of home schools from overzealous state regulators by defeating a General Assembly proposal that would mandate state certification of high school diplomas.
"South Carolina students whether educated in public, private, charter or home schools are currently protected by state law. Students who are home schooled must be approved by either their local school board, the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS), or other state-authorized home school associations.” Wingate said.
A bill that was originally intended only to prevent fraudulent “mail order diplomas” from being issued, now appears to result in the requirement that the State Board of Education would have to approve any diploma not issued by a public school.
The legislation has passed the House and is up for consideration in the state Senate.
“This would have a totally unacceptable impact on students who have been home schooled. This is clearly a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” Wingate said. “Obviously, we should close down these diploma mills. However, that can be done without threatening the existence and viability of home schooling.”
Wingate and Zan Tyler, founder and board member of SCHAIS, are organizing the effort to defeat the bill in the Senate. Tyler says she is concerned about the bill’s potential to level more government oversight at the program.
“A critical reason home schools are so successful at educating children, ” said Tyler, “is their independence from bureaucratic regulations at all levels, and that should be zealously defended.”
"The home schooling system isn’t broken, so what’s there to fix,” asked Wingate who, along with his wife Cathy at one time home schooled their own children. “My question is who is behind this bill in the Senate? Where is the governor on this issue?
“After several years of seeing the nation's top geography and spelling bee students come from home school families, I think it is safe to say, we are seeing that home schooling is an alternative that works for many families," Wingate said.
Wingate concluded, “While this issue certainly has an impact on the education of our children, we must never forget that there is also the broader issue of the right of our people to self determination. The state must never be allowed to restrict the right of parents to determine their own destiny. This is particularly true when it comes to the education of our children.”