National Charter School Watch Blog

Update: This court decision was vacated on March 25th and the California Court of Appeal granted a rehearing. Homeschooling by using one of the alternatives to public school currently available under California law remains legal. See the website for the California Homeschool Network.

Are public school Independent Study Programs under fire in California? Some individuals are saying, “No, because there are two types of homeschooling”.

Home school ruling said ripe for challenge
By: TERI FIGUEROA - Staff Writer

Attorneys and advocates say parents who teach their kids shouldn’t worry | Saturday, March 8, 2008
In broad terms, there are two types of home schooling.

snip:
The first is that in which parents align themselves with a public school district and teach a state-approved curriculum while regularly checking in with the school. This type of home schooling does not appear to be under fire.

The second type, which appears to be under scrutiny in this case, is when parents find their curriculum elsewhere, including private schools and even the Internet.

The requirements that credentialed teachers play a part in home schooling has been on the books for years, said Ken Noonan, former superintendent of the Oceanside Unified School District who now sits on the California Board of Education.

Noonan said that he believes the ruling does not jeopardize school district-based programs, which he said meet the spirit of the law requiring the involvement of credentialed teachers. (end of snip)

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Home school’s legality questioned, not independent study’s
By CHRIS GULLICK - Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/08/2008 12:00:00 AM PST

snip:
A recent appellate court ruling in Southern California won’t affect most of the students in Butte County being taught at home, said Butte County Superintendent of Schools Don McNelis.

The ruling made Feb. 28 in the 2nd District Court of Appeal stated that parents without teaching credentials cannot legally home school their children, according to an Associated Press article in Friday’s Enterprise-Record.

McNelis said the ruling would not apply to students in independent study programs, such as Hearthstone School or Core Butte Charter School, where a fully credentialed teacher is assigned to every student and drives instruction.

In those models, teachers meet with their students at least once every two weeks to review work and make assignments. The students have to meet the same standards and testing required of all public school students.

McNelis said he believed most districts offered an independent study model similar to the county office of education’s.

But he said the ruling addresses a different group of students entirely - those who have never been in school and are taught exclusively by parents without a teacher’s oversight. (end of snip)

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Ruling seen as a threat to many home-schooling families
State appellate court says those who teach children in private must have a credential.
By Seema Mehta and Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
March 6, 2008

snip:
Teachers union officials will also be closely monitoring the appeal. A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, said he agrees with the ruling.

“What’s best for a child is to be taught by a credentialed teacher,” he said.
(end of snip)

For further information on this situation, click over to the HomeSchool Association of California.