HSLDA News	June 5, 2002

Florida School Districts Hassle Home Schoolers

Home School Legal Defense Association as noticed an increase in problems with Florida school districts in recent weeks. Below are some examples of trouble spots.

Franklin County

A Home School Legal Defense Association member was told that they needed to fill out a new home school notification form for the new year. HSLDA contacted the school district and informed them that the family only has to file a notice of intent one time at the beginning of their home school.

Hillsboro County

An HSLDA member family received a letter from the school district indicating that they were required to submit their annual evaluation by June 30. They were informed that if the evaluation was not received by June 30 "the home school program will be terminated and the student will be required to enter a school."

HSLDA immediately contacted the school district condemning their inaccurate and misleading statement of the Florida law. HSLDA explained that there is no arbitrary deadline for the submission of annual evaluations. Under the law, a home school family may submit the evaluation any time within one year of the anniversary of their original notification.

Furthermore, if an evaluation does not demonstrate progress, the parent has one year to provide remedial instruction to the student. At the end of the one-year probationary period, the student shall be reevaluated to determine if he has progressed commensurate with his ability. The school district has no authority to instantly terminate a family's home school program and force the child to attend school.

Pinellas County

An HSLDA member family received a threatening letter that their annual evaluation had to be received by the school district by April 8 or their children would be "dropped from the home education program and would need to be enrolled in either public or private school." HSLDA contacted the school district and explained that the family had no specific deadline to meet for the submission of their evaluation.

Lee County

HSLDA members were being told that they were required to submit their phone number and information pertaining to their child's previous school location. HSLDA responded with a letter explaining that the "requirements" in the Lee County letter were not mandated by law. Much to the credit of the school superintendent, he returned the letter stating "you are correct in your description of what information Florida statutes require parents to provide the school districts in order to establish a home education program. As superintendent of Lee County Schools, I assure that no home school program will be denied by Lee County School District due to a parent's failure to provide more information than is required by the statute."

Duval County