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If a family files that they were homeschooling, aside from the annual test scores they need to submit to the school district, is there any time that someone comes to check on the child? In other words, could someone forge test scores, and kill a child, and get away with it for years before someone found out?

Absolutely not. Not unless there was some sort of horrible oversight. I helped homeschool some of the kids I nannied for, but it's been years so I'm fuzzy on the details. But I do remember that there was a woman who came out to the house at least once a semester to check on them. And the annual tests were taken at a high school and administered by someone other than the parents. Homeschooling laws vary dramatically by state. If you're thinking about writing a story about homeschooling, I highly suggest you do some research first. You might want to check these:

Homeschool World

Homeschool Central

Home School Legal Defense Association

The Oley School - Home School State Laws

National Home Education Network

A to Z Home Schooling Laws and Legalities

All of these sites should give you information not only about the laws regarding homeschooling, but also about how homeschooling generally works. If you are really interested, you may want to just ask around. I know there are at least a few folcs who have either homeschooled or been homeschooled.

Good luck!
Annie

Actually, having been homeschooled myself ( ), I know a little about the subject...okay, okay, I'm obsessed with it.

And the laws about homeschooling are different in every single state. (I know, I've looked. After all, I have no idea where I'll be living when I homeschool my kids...who don't exist yet. :p ) Some states require test scores, lesson plans, 'report cards' and all sorts of stuff. Other states just want you to tell them, "I'm homeschooling." They say, "Okay." End of story. Other states don't even care that much!

The entire time I was homeschooled (in four different states -- Illinois (Chicago), Michigan, Ohio, and Texas -- plus I have a ton of friends in MI who stayed homeschooled even through high school) NOBODY ever checked up on us. When we moved to Texas, my mom contacted the school system to see if there was anything that she needed to do officially, and they told her, "Don't tell us. We don't want to know." Then again, Texas is known for it's poor school systems. Don't know if they've improved in the eleven years since we moved there...or maybe I should say the seven since we moved away.

We did take the Iowa Basic Skills test every other year (not even every year!) to prove (mostly to my mom) that we were making progress, and when we started public school for high school, they only cared about the most recent one.

One of my friends' mom keeps meticulous records to be sure that she has 'proof' that she did a complete job if she's ever called before a judge -- it won't happen, though.

So (especially if you're writing L&C and can make up any laws you want for New Troy ), I'd say you could have them get away with it for years. Or not. Depending on what you want. The only problem I could see, unless you made the law such that there were official check ups, would not be with any officials from the school system, but neighbors. If your child has played with them and then suddenly disappears, they might notice and/or worry. If they notice signs of abuse, they might call child services. Then again, they might just butt out. So, again, you can have it go whichever way you want for your story.

I could go on about homeschooling forever , but I'll stop now.

If you've made it this far, I hope I helped. If there's anything else you want to know, feel free.

Bethy

I'm homeschooled myself, so I know a bit about it. However, my family had dealings with the school district, so the officials saw us every so often. I also know that you only have to be a registered teacher to administor standardized tests.

That being said, another question. After someone adopts a child, is there any follow up? In Washington, {if I remember correctly} the adoptive parents get a check for food and clothing every month till the child turns 18, but no one ever checks on the child.

I don't know about the adoption question, but I did want to make a comment on the standardized test thing -- that must depend on the test and/or the state, too. When we first started taking the Iowa Basic Skills tests, my aunt had to give them to us, because she was a teacher (my mom has a degree in English). However, when I was about 8 or 10, they changed it and so my mom was able to adminster them to us. I don't know if the new rule was anyone, or college degree.

So, if that comes up in the story, you can play with those details, too.

Bethy

I am really interested in home schooling because I have seen both the good of home schooling and the bad.

One of my best friends and her sisters were home schooled until college. They absolutely loved it and their parents did an incredible job! When they applied to college, the only thing they had to do was take the GED test to prove that they learned what they needed. That might have been only through the college they applied to, though (a small Christian college in Florida).

My cousin was also home schooled. She lived in ghetto Cleveland and went to Catholic school because her mom didn't want to send her to Cleveland public schools -- which sort of offended my parents because they teach in the CMSD . However, when it came time for high school, none of the catholic high schools would take my cousin because she was a behavior problem. So her mom decided just not to send her to school instead of sending her to East Tech. However, my aunt didn't finish high school herself! Yet, the state of Ohio allowed her to "homeschool" my cousin. Thus, Audra in effect dropped out of school. Yes, she had to take the Ohio 9th grade proficiency tests, but she failed them every time. My aunt certainly didn't even have a high school degree, so how was she teaching highschool? Thus, my cousin in effect dropped out of school after the 8th grade . She certainly wasn't regulated by the state of Ohio . . . she sort of just dropped out of the system.

In Ohio at least, I think the rules must be pretty lax for Audra to completely drop out of the system. But it also has the potential of working very well in the case of my other friends.

(Sorry, this is way off topic, but i am curious) Other than bad school districts, are there other reasons why a parent would choose to home school? My aunt chose to homeschool because of bad school districts, but I have no idea why my friend's parents chose to homeschool.

- Laura (who was public and Catholic schooled her whole life so really is not any sort of expert on home schooling )

I know a few families that homeschool -- mostly, it's because the schools aren't the best learning environment for their autistic kids. Some people just want more flexibility in subject matter than is available in the public schools, whether it's God-centered teaching or learning Latin in second grade. Then there's the "unschooling" movement, where people just don't believe schools are the optimum learning environment. Lots of reasons, I guess.

I've thought about homeschooling my own kids, for a variety of reasons -- my mother's very much for it, on religious grounds. So far, though, we've had very positive experiences with the public schools.

PJ

There are generally four main reasons people homeschool.

1. Relegion or relegious reasons. Many parents don't like the position most public schools take on relegion. They usually can't afford a good private school.

2. Bad school districts. I hate to say it, but they do exist.

3. Attention or learning problems. Their children aren't getting the help they needed in school.

4. Academic reasons. The child isn't being challenged or they are behind and are getting the attention they need. Many times homeschoolers take classes not allowed in high school or take them years before they are supposed.

Anyhow...that was sort of off topic, but those are the four reasons I know of.