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LEGAL/LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
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ACROSS THE STATES
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Programs moonlight as homeschool opportunity
Homeschool families throughout Hawaii are being courted by online charter school programs. Families who enroll their children in these programs are often provided with money to purchase curriculum (from several hundred to over a thousand dollars), use of computers, access to certified teachers, and more. Does this sound too good to be true?
On their face, online charter schools may look like a good deal. However, Home School Legal Defense Association would like homeschooling families across the state to be aware of the ramifications of these seemingly harmless programs.
What many families don't realize is that by enrolling in these programs, they can no longer be considered private homeschools and thus become ineligible for membership in HSLDA. Our goal at HSLDA is to work to protect the right of parents to privately homeschool, free from government controls and restrictions. But when parents enroll their children in online charter schools, the children become full-time public school students.
Families participating in online charter school programs waive certain parental rights and agree to teach their children according to the public school's rules. In other states with similar "virtual" or online public school programs, HSLDA has observed that more and more regulations are gradually placed on participating parents each year. If a family decides not to comply, the "virtual" school demands that they return the computer, curriculum, and other "freebies."
Additional considerations related to online charter school programs include the following:
| >> | Certified teachers supervise parent and child. |
| >> | Students participate in required state standardized assessments. |
| >> | The financial allotment can only be used to purchase "approved" secular curriculum. No religious material may be purchased or used with this money. |
These programs in effect create a little public school in your home and encourage a greater dependence upon the government. After careful consideration, you may find that the true cost of these programs is just too high.
— by Thomas J. Schmidt
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