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| Date: From: Subject: | 8/3/2007 1:22:12 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Virginia--Virginia Beach Withdraws Course Content Description Demand |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Virginia--Virginia Beach Withdraws Course Content Description Demand Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: Virginia Beach Public Schools recently demanded that families submit curriculum descriptions with their notice of intent that were not curriculum descriptions at all, but course content descriptions, or syllabuses. HEAV's Yvonne Bunn and I met with public school representatives August 1 to discuss this. The home instruction statute requires that families submit a "description of the curriculum." For many years, most homeschool families have followed Home School Legal Defense Association's advice and submitted a simple list of subjects and a principal textbook for each subject. This has been accepted nearly universally. (See note below for Option 3 and Option 4a families.) Unfortunately, the Virginia Department of Education sowed confusion last winter by publishing erroneous guidance to school systems. The guidance consisted of "examples" of curriculum descriptions--but they were truly course content descriptions, which the law does not require. Yvonne Bunn and I, and representatives of Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers, met earlier with Department officials to persuade them to change their guidance, but to no avail. The word "curriculum," according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, means "1 : the courses offered by an educational institution; 2 : a set of courses constituting an area of specialization." Therefore, to "describe" one's "curriculum" means nothing more than to list the subjects a student will study in the course of completing a particular grade in the homeschool program. While a simple list of subjects satisfies the law, some school systems have demanded more over the years. In an effort to reach an understanding with all parties, HSLDA has advised our members to provide, in addition to subjects, the title and publisher of the principal textbook to be used in the subject. Requiring further detail would be pointless. The law does not mandate that parents teach any particular subjects or cover any particular content. Since public schools have no power to approve or disapprove subjects or course content, it is a waste of parent's time to prepare and file--and officials' time to read--the superfluous details of course content. After a lengthy discussion, Virginia Beach officials agreed that they would accept a list of subjects and a principal textbook for each subject. They agreed to withdraw their demand for course content descriptions. (The Department has waived the curriculum description requirement for families using Option 3, since they use a program with subjects and contents which the state has already approved. Option 4a families may be required to confirm that their program includes the state standards of learning for language arts and math. Families under the religious exemption avoid many struggles because they are exempt from filing the notice of intent.) Scott A. Woodruff HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How long are you in for? Some families are facing what seems like a lifelong commitment to homeschooling, with children at both ends of the spectrum -- some graduating and some just reaching school age. If you're going to be "in" for a while, consider a lifetime membership with HSLDA. It's a good deal for families with more than 10 years of homeschooling ahead. 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