State laws differ. In Connecticut, you do not have to file an Intent Form in order to be legal homeschoolers, as we do here in Washington State. This did not stop school officials from creating one for people to file with the schools. Apparently, after not being able to create legislation to require one, they found a simple solution:
Send out a memo.
The problem, says the
article on homeschooling, is that filing an " intent form" is
not required by the law in Connecticut. The schools simply made up the idea for a form and "suggested," to workers and parents that a form be on filre. It's not a law. However, people have been being asked to file this way, and not knowing any different, they comply.
Workers at the school then continue to perpeturate the practice. Parents, who eventually are asked to fill out the forms, simply do what is asked of them by school officials to do, and tell others that this is what they did and what one must do. Meanwhile the form serves to gather information about those who choose to homeschool; information that is not only private, but not required by any law. One homeschooling parent was quoted in the
New York Post article saying that the Education Department started distributing the memo to do this in the early 1990s, after a failed attempt in the state's legislature to require one of parents who chose home school. Connecticut attorney and homeschool law expert Deborah Stevenson is also quoted as saying, “They do this intentionally. It’s not a mistake.”
There is such a things as
the due process of law. One would expect officials, school officials, to honor that.
It's likely some local school district "memos" have gone out regarding homeschoolers in Spokane too, but one who is not in-the-loop of receiving the possible memos can only speculate. However, there is some pretty good evidence for it.
Take, for example, the Declaration of Intent to Provide Home Based Instruction
forms. (DOI)You may or may know this, but our local school district personnel have been notorious about asking
more information than is truly necessary on these forms. It has been deduced, that this is for their data collection about these home-schooled children, and it is easily gathered from the parents when they file their forms. Because the schools routinely have done this, and in an effort to protect the privacy of homeschoolers and uphold the intent and integrity of the Home Based Instruction law, Washington's homeschool support organizations like
CHNOW and
WHO have been forced to provide
forms that do present an actual representation of what is required by law.
If you plan to homeschool, you might compare these organization's forms with
the one your school district offers you. You will see if they ask more information than they are required by law to know.
School districts in Washington have also been known to redirect parents interested in homeschooling to register somewhere else besides the superintendent's office, (as specified in the Home Based Education Law.) Usually they redirect them to the school's local parent partnership program office.
http://www.spokaneschools.org/domain/3121
TEC/Bryant School, website lists as a first form the DOT form for parents to file in order to "homeschool" This school is a parent partnership. Here is their list of forms offered:
"
Declaration of Intent to Homeschool Field Trip Permission Slip New Student Intake Form
Additionally, when a parent is at the schools program location and interested in the program offered by the school, the parent is given the form for home based instruction. (DOI) If the parents falsely assumes this program location is "homeschooling," and eventually enrolls their child "full time" in the "homeschool" program, the parent is then informed that they are no longer under " home based instruction" law, and the form they once filed is miraculouly made null and void. Sad to say, when this happens it is nothing short of a bait and switch tactic. The reason for offering the intent form at the school is feigned. It is not so that you can "homeschool," but so that you who have been officially registered home based educator, will join the program.
There must have been some memo that went out, otherwise the schools would have left homeschoolers alone and let them file at the superintendents offiuce as required by law. Instead they made up new procedures for their own benefit.
In days passed, not just any student could join the
alt ed program.... the program was first specifically for "at risk" students. In the 2010-11 school year, approximately 40 percent of ALE student's were enrolled in programs offering "parent partnerships." (See
this link for reference on that figure.) Derr Park's
HomeLink boasts 500 students.
DOI forms being made available at a place that is
home to the local Parent Partnership Program or an
Alternative Learning hub deceptively serves to validate the program offered. The place and person that homeschoolers want to register with is the superintendent of schools office for their district. It's simple. Read through t
he Pink Book, download a DOI form from a homeschool support organization, fill it in drop it off and get a dated copy for your records, or send it registered for proof that you complied with law. Then homeschool your child.
Filing a Declaration of Intent to Provided Home Based Instruction form, (DOI) means you want to homeschool and intend to do so. It does not mean that you intend to join the program offered at the school. However, if you have filed an intent form to join the local parent partnership program you need to know that you have essentially documented for the school that:
1) homeschooling independently did not work for you, (you obviously thought you could homeschool but determined that you need the help and support of the program you joined) and
2) Your now "at risk" child, (who cannot succeed in a regular program because they have a parent who wants to be directly involved instead of leaving the student's education to the state approved teacher in class,) needs this program in order to succeed in school. Your child needs the supervision of paid personnel at school.
Homeschoolers also please note... You are not "asking for permission" to homeschool from the school personnel, but are making known your intent to the superintendent of schools so that your student will not be considered
truant if someone reports you for not sending your child to school.
Additionally, our school districts have often taken the liberty to
use the collected databased gathered from these intent forms to "direct market" their programs at the school specifically to homechooling parents. Howsociation ever, some people know the home school laws, and recognize this illegal action and they have brought it to the attention of both homeschool support organizations and local schools. Schools have formally
apologized to homechoolers for this too.
Most egregiously, school districts claim to be interested in "homeschooling" and offer their support in a parent's decision to "homeschool." It's egregious because schools have no buisness supporting home school any more than they "support" private or parochial schools or those parent's in theier decision to use a different method of school. What they actually attempt to do with the "support" they offer is to
co-opt the homeschool movement and engage in redefining for you and for me, (for the general public, and for educators as well,) the definition of "homeschool."
It's quite deceptive. They even present themselves as "
Home School Resource Centers." or
"Enrichment Options for Homeschoolers." Meanwhile, the WSSDA, (Washington State School Directors Association) states that the Parent Partnership Programs are an integral, cost-effective part of the overall public school comprehensive educational program. Yes, they are. Make no mistake, the PPP is created to stop you from being the person in charge of your child's education.
There must have been another memo.
"What is Spokane Valley Learning Academy? We are a program designed to support homeschool families with enrichment classes, help with curriculum, and offer moral support from the Central Valley School District. We at SVLA believe in homeschooling and support your decision to do so."
"Home Link is Deer Park's Parent Partnership Program, where parents of home schooled children work with Deer Park teachers to provide varying degrees of traditional "on-site" instruction as well as plans for meeting educational goals at home."
Maybe there were several?
"Five Mile Prairie School is home to the Mead Education Partnership Program (MEPP) a Home School Resource Center that operates as an alternative school."(quotes added for emphasis)
Meanwhile, these "homeschool" programs
use tax dollars to fund the "homeschool" they offer. What is so terrible about this is that the home based instruction law....(remember that DOI form?)...specifically stipulates that "under no circumstances may a student who is receiving home-based instruction be reported as a full-time equivalent student.... for purposes of receiving state funds." (See number
10 ans 11 on page 17..) Yet, they do.... "receive state funds" per student, while making the student and their family think that they are homeschooling. Then, while receiving funding, calling the participants "homeschooler's"... they "share the wealth" of one more child enrolled in the district with parents who will happily discard the DOI's intent. It's done in exchange for being in the "enrichment program" offered at the... as they call it, "Home School Resource Center."
And there are no doubt financial rescourcse available .The program is full of
resources.... (a.k.a. money.)
Program directors and teachers, get paid salary as they promote the partnership programs as "homeschool." They even do this in premiere venues to homeschoolers, like "
homeschool workshops." (Note the 11:30, 12:30, and 1:30 offerings ) Schools win awards for
"distinction" and they are promoted this way to the public while working to make the program as appealing as they can to specifically
attract homeschoolers to sign up. Parents who think the program suits their needs and join are allowed to spend allotments of money on books and classes specifically chosen by them to be used by their kids.
Besides being lauded as "homeschoolers" they get accolades as they work alongside district teachers, teach classes in the school, (sometimes teaching for pay) and this while helping their own kids earn the required credit hours that apply to grades and WAC requirements.
Take for example Five Mile Prairie in Mead:
"Five Mile Prairie School, for the third year in a row, has been named a 2013 "School of Distinction" winner - this year at the middle and high school levels. Five Mile Prairie is a K-12 instructional partner with our home school families." Mead Schools
These programs also advertise their homeschool "expertise" to prospective "homeschool "parents, knowing full well that the end result will be to get money when parents sign up. Giving the false impression that the program is supportive of "homeschooling." the point is for parents to join, thereby nullifying the DOI they previously filed. It's tricky. Some, like Northstar, clearly make themselves out to be homeschooling experts.... to earn your trust:
"Our certified teachers have experience in alternative learning, homeschooling and learning challenges." Northstar School
And they do this while stealthily hiding themselves behind privately created
"FREE" webpages like weebly, instead of using regular district media. This. intentional or not, looks more like home school than public
Then you also have the stealth appearance whereby a program lie TEC outwardly is presented as being a program for homeschoolers:
"The Enrichment Cooperative (TEC) is Spokane Public Schools’ parent partnership program for homeschoolers. Established in 2002, it provides both core and enrichment curriculum for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade."
"Who We Are" statement for TEC @ Bryant School, August 14, 2014
But then,
on the inside, (in
the "who we are" statement is in the official Handbook for the school using just about the same verbage, they tell it like it really is:
"The Enrichment Cooperative (TEC) is Spokane Public Schools’ Parent Partnership Program. Established in 2002, it provides both core and enrichment curriculum for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.)
Nothing about being a program for homeschoolers mentioned there.
Why the difference?
It's bait on the outside... but once you are in... it probably does not matter any longer because you have been informed and agreed that you are no longer under the Home Based Instruction Law. That is the switch. It's no big deal not to be under the home based instruction law if they still call you a "homeschooler" Right?
Who cares about home based education? Who cares about the home based education law? Not the people in the program. They want government funding for their public school program. and as far as they are concerned, the home school law can now be torn in two.
And then there is the local and social media who helps the cause of stopping home school. They got a memo too. For when the schools started putting money into building and designing these programs, the Spokesman Review told it's readership:
"Five Mile Prairie School works with students of all ages who are being homeschooled in the Mead School District. Homeschoolers can attend classes their parents don’t feel qualified to teach to make sure they meet graduation requirements."
Visitors from Indonesia Are a Force for Learning by Pia Hellenberg, 10/11/12 Spokesman Review
By the way, homeschool law defines how parents who homeschool are "qualified" to teach. State law has "requirements" for homeschooling. Those parents may not have a degree in classroom management, but they are qualified.... legally qualified to direct and oversee and teach their own children here in WA, Some even take a qualifying course in order to honmeschool. In Home School, the requirements of the state are even often exceeded by homeschooling families who do not have to meet the requirements the same way as the public schools.
And you can bet having these programs in every district is expensive. They are truely and example of "your tax dollars hard at work." Meanwhile the schools send home those yearly school supply lists as if they have no money to spend on school supplies for your kids. Parents shop and donate things like crayons and spiral notebooks... for "community use" and even classroom paper products to be used in their children's classroom in the school. However, the school spends lots of money on "homeschoolers."
Spokesman Review reported:
'The Five Mile Schoolhouse looks like a million bucks. Make that $1.7 million, the approximate amount of taxpayers' money spent to gut and gentrify the little brick schoolhouse at North Five Mile and Strong roads. About six years after talk of demolishing the boarded-up school swept across Five Mile Prairie like a grass fire in late summer, the building will open Sept. 5 as the new home of the Mead Education Partnership Program, which combines home schooling with classroom time."
By the way, Homeschooling is not "combined with classroom time" in the school if you are in the program as a full time student. Your DOI is voided at the start. What is taking place here is public school.... both at school and at home. Homeschooling, also known as Home School, actually is independent of the local public school, like private school Home School requires no school campus "classroom time."
The Spokane Journal of Business reported on the cost of these Five Mile School and it's planned use too:
"Mead School District plans to renovate its historic Five Mile Prairie School at a cost of $2.8 million to house its supplemental home-school program.
Supplemental home-school program? Does that mean ancillary classes?
No. It's not ancillary if you are a full time student. To people who do not think home school is adequate, a "supplement" this sounds pretty good.
Take a memo.... if you will. It might be a great program for some people, but....
