Colorado
Grand Junction Recruits Home Schoolers
School districts across Colorado have begun to realize they can make serious money off home schoolers. Last year, we wrote about the so-called “Golden Goose” program in Golden, Colorado which enabled the school district to make about $2,000 for every home schooled child who is willing to spend at least five hours a week in public school-sponsored classes. This year, Grand Junction has heavily advertised its own version of this profitable deal with similar terms—and perks for the district.
In the past, Home School Legal Defense Association has terminated the memberships of families who enrolled home schooled students in full-time, public school-sponsored programs. This has long been a problem in California, where school districts get full funding while parents do all the teaching for children in so-called “Independent Study Programs.” As similar programs become more common, HSLDA has clarified its position on participation.
As a matter of policy, HLSDA does not accept into membership (or continue the membership of) any student who participates in a public school outreach program where the school asserts primary authority over the child’s education.
If the public school regards that student’s enrollment status as less than full-time, then, in order to obtain or retain membership status for the student, HSLDA must be assured that the parent is providing at least 51% of the student’s entire course of instruction and that the family’s home education program is free from government direction or supervision.
Although HSLDA is open to families who participate in part-time programs of this sort, we strongly urge our member families to be cautious of them. Our experience across the states, in fact, has given us many good reasons to advise home schooling families to avoid the public schools altogether whenever possible. When something looks “too good to be true,” it usually is.
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Colorado
Admitted to statehood:
August 1, 1876
Origin of name:
Spanish for “red,” first applied to Colorado River.
Motto:
Nil Sine Numine—Nothing without Providence.
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