House Bill 3478: Imposes Additional Testing and Reporting Requirements for Homeschoolers and Eliminates Option III

This bill would impose state testing on all homeschool students in both the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS) and all homeschool associations. Additionally, results of the annual review of these organizations by the South Carolina Department of Education would have to be reported to the legislature. Further, these organizations would be required to provide the name of each student being homeschooled to their respective school districts, instead of providing just the number of students being homeschooled as is now required.

Even worse, this bill would eliminate membership in a homeschool association under Section 59-65-47 of the South Carolina Code as an option for homeschooling. In other words, if this bill passes, effective July 1, 2014, South Carolina homeschoolers will no longer able to exercise what is currently known as the "third option" for complying with the compulsory attendance law.