I know that relative to other states and especially to other countries, CA is very laissez-faire about homeschooling. But I am irked at even the requirement of sending in a "private school" affadavit. It's just none of their business. I have wondered the same thing.

We are registered with a local "cover" homeschool school.

The benefit of that is two-fold: We have to file only attendance and grades each month. No reports, no portfolio, no visits. The cover school takes care of filing paperwork with the state (California), which brings me to the second advantage of being with a cover school instead of being a private school.

Because the cover school does not divulge names of individual students to the state, only the numbers of students in each grade, we enjoy the anonymity of not having our names listed in any State of California register of students.

Awhile back, we were having a disagreement with our cover school over the required state vaccinations. We weren't going to have them, and they insisted we had to. We won, of course. But, in the meantime we looked into filing as a private school. What we found out was that we absolutely DID NOT want to divulge all the necessary information to the state, make ourselves known to them, and have to perform all the accountability items like reports, etc. So, the cover school is by far still the best option.

By the way, a homeschool cover school is NOT the same thing as the public school system's charter school program, which many people confuse with homeschooling. A cover school is basically just a paper school that acts as a go-between between us and the state.

And to answer the original question: Yes, we find having to make reports, etc., to the state to be VERY intrusive. We reject the state's standards of education -- that's one reason why we homeschool in the first place -- so they absolutely do not need to know how and what we are teaching our kids.

It's an arrogant, Big Brother intrusion and invasion of privacy. Medical information such as dental, ht and wt, physical exams, etc. are none of their darn business. They know it, but demand it because they can. Who are these people and what gives them the right to demand anything? Oh, I forgot, they are "public servants"... that's right. We are simply cattle to be tracked, like it or else. Ugh. I wish we could have a "cover school". We have to have portfolios, evaluations by "certified" teachers, provide medical info, and vaccinations as well.

JS,

I get angry just thinking about what you all have to go through. Is there a chance that you can file waivers on some of that? Our cover school administrators insisted that my daughter had to have a first-grade physical by a doctor and vaccinations. I said, nope, nah-huh, no way. They said yep, you gotta. I started digging into the California Education Code and California Health Code, and I was able to provide them section and paragraph to back me up. Maybe there is something you can dig out of your state's codes.

There are VERY FEW reasons to be grateful for being in California, but their homeschool-friendly law is one of them at least.

Because my daughter was born at home with no doctor in attendance the only reason the state managed to get their grubby paws on her at all is because we had to take her into the county health department to register her birth certificate. What a horrible, unhealthy place that was!

Dave

Dave,

What do you mean about them getting their grubby paws on her? Do you mean they sought you out because they knew she exists?

We've had home births too (and don't vax), and we also register with the state to get a birth certificate...but I know several families who have never filed the yearly affidavit nor have a cover school, and have never been bothered by anyone about it. My dh wants to go that route, but I'm worried about what kind of trouble we could get into.

Rebecca

Rebecca,

You asked: "What do you mean about them getting their grubby paws on her? Do you mean they sought you out because they knew she exists?"

No. We went in voluntarily a couple days after she was born because she was born at home without a doctor to sign the birth certificate. But, the process was ghastly. We had to take her into the county health department and sit in the same filthy, germy seats in the same waiting room that people with hepatitis, HIV, etc., sit in. She had to be physically seen by the authorities before they would issue her birth certificate, so she had to be exposed to all the germs and such in the person's office.

We hate hospitals and doctors offices because if you go in there and aren't sick, the chances are you'll come out with some life-threatening disease. Anyway, we all survived.

We know people who have gone "renegade" for their homeschooling, but I haven't been in touch to find out if there have been any long-term implications. As far as not even registering the birth, I don't think that's an option. Sooner or later, it's going to come back to bite ya.

Our situation as a very high-profile family in our community precluded us being able to go underground like that.

Dave

Yes, I didn't mean not to register the birth; I just meant the school thing. My eldest is 5 so we don't have to face that until next year.

for the vaccinations.

It's against my religion to tell the government what I do with my kids. They aren't Caesar's- not yet.

Dave,
It is my understanding that all that is required of me by law in CA is to register as a private school once each year, listing the children who are enrolled in my private school. I don't think I have to file any kind of reports or grades. Am I wrong about that? You're making me nervous...

just for the record, since many people don't know this, Kentucky has this clause in their state constitution. It is known as the Beckner clause and it is in the free exercise of religion section:

"Nor shall any man be compelled to send his child to any school to which he is conscientiously opposed"

This clause has helped keep us legislation free in Kentucky. We fall under private school regs, which means we are supposed to send the child's name in each year and keep attendance and scholarship records. Nobody checks the attendance and scholarship (unless a neglect charge is levelled). After awhile I even stopped sending in my kids' names to the district, as it is intrusive and none of their business.
Leslie in KY

Leslie,
Do you recommend, then, just not bothering to send in the private school affidavit? Do you have any idea what sort of trouble I might get into? Would they just tell me to do it, if they found out I hadn't?
Rebecca

You'd have to ask other homeschoolers in your state, or preferably in your district. In KY in my area, the school would just say take care of it and we'll leave you alone if an issue came up. It is rare for someone to want to go to truancy court over this type of situation any more (that wasn't true in the early days of homeschooling). But each area differs and local school districts differ-- you have to know what kind of people you are dealing with in your local situation. You never know where you'll run into an anti-homeschooling zealot or bureaucrat who will give you a hassle.

As for attendance, I figured if it ever did come up (it didn't) I would just print out something on the computer and mark every day since my kids were learning all the time. I'd love to get a chance to argue that one if challenged! "Scholarship" reports were easy--I did a great transcript for my daughter's college application, and did it all after-the-fact using her reading list and looking at the books in our house to help describe the "courses" plus I knew in my head all the activities. I never kept much in the way of records (other than family photos) as they were growing up. We were too busy living!
Leslie in KY

in Alaska, the state has nothing to say about it.

There are advantages to living in a well-armed society. ;) You want me to what? My well-armed husband says I don't have to.

"I never kept much in the way of records (other than family photos) as they were growing up. We were too busy living!"

Hear hear for living!!!!!!!!!!!!!


When I withdrew my young boy from PS at the end of his first grade year (had also w/drawn at beginning- different school- over that principal's objections- still no repurcussions) the principal and his teacher both supported my decision to homeschool and apologized for the chaotic classroom atmosphere. they also said he could come in once a week, once a month, whatever, and that I and my small daughter could come to class too, or that he could come to class and leave to hang with his big brother in his class any time he wanted to.

VERY supportive PS. Too bad the class was so chaotic. (Lots of maladapts- "blue tarped garagers" and such.)

"(Lots of maladapts- "blue tarped garagers" and such.)"

Hmmm. I better go out and see what the color du jour of the tarp over my garage is. Usually whatever is on sale at Kmart. ;-)

Actually, ours is a tasteful forest green one, and it's over the side of the barn (a little extra wind protection)! Although I'm sure there are those who'd argue I'm maladapted.

Actually, some parts of some cities you see a lot of tarps hanging over otherwise open garages because there are people up working all night- and day- and night-

and naturally these types are suspicious and don't like to be watched.

Something about not getting enough sleep. The ads for the all night car parts stores in these areas are a HOOT.

UPALLNIGHTWORKINGONYOURCAR??!!!???!!!?NEEDAPARTANDJUSTCAN'TWAITUNTILMORNINGTOBUYIT???!!!???!?COMETOALLNIGHTAUTOPARTSBESTPRICESANDWE'REOPENALLNIGHT!!!!!!!!

We have tarps too.
That's not what I meant. ;)

Rebecca,

We've never gone the private school route, so I'm fuzzy on the details, but here's my thinking about your question.

Because you are a private school, you keep your own attendance and grades and report them to yourself (or not, if you unschool). All you are required to do is re-register each year with the state. As far as I know, private schools have the same 180-days requirement as public schools, so I'm assuming you have to keep some kind of attendance records. Yes?

But, because we register with a cover school, which actually is just another private school as far as the state is concerned, they need to keep the records. It's a once-a-month, or a once-a-semester thing. I'm not sure, my wife does it. ;-)

However, all the cover school reports to the state is how many students in which grades are registered with the school. We appreciate being once-removed from the system, and anonymous.

Dave

I see your point about the anonymity. I'll mention that to dh. You're right; I think we'll have to keep attendance records, which don't have to be reported but can be checked with a couple of weeks notice. I'm not sure about grades. I don't have to start until next year since dd is only five now. What if you don't want to grade your children? Are you required by law to give grades or to have grade levels? And can you just say your child is present every day of the year?

Again, I can't speak for the requirements in the private school option, but our cover school requires attendance and grades. These are their records only, and are not part of what they report to the state. Grades come in handy, especially in high school if your child wants to go on to college. I suspect many colleges would have no reason to look twice at an official transcript coming from such and such private school, but might question something scratched out hastily on the back of a napkin. Grades, however, are very arbitrary, and you are welcome to give your children whatever grades you want. (Not much different from the public school system, heh?) And yes, you can count as a "school" day any day that your child is conscious and breathing.

in KY they say "scholarship reports" rather than "grades". This way you can do portfolio or descriptive assessments. For a hs transcript to apply to private college I decided to use the state testing system adjectives instead of letter grades, and the college had no problem with that. The adjectives are novice, apprentice, proficient, distinguished, and they have definitions for these. College really was concerned with the ACT score more than anything else, I don't think they really cared much about the transcript. She got lots of scholarship money based on other things--ACT, Leadership (based on activities), Talent (she had been to KY Governor's School for the Arts 3 week summer program).

Funny thing about "novice". Two schooled kids who are studying Latin and Greek word roots with me told me that they thought novice meant "bad" or "the lowest" when we had a set of words with this root.

I think it is much easier to get into college now without traditional grades than was true in the past. And many colleges like to get homeschooled young people.
Leslie in KY

Off topic: How did you make the post so wide?