This is the time of the year when people start wondering what to send in for their notifications. I happen to cringe sometimes because there are a lot of people out there that are trying to tell people to send either too much or too little info for their notifications. Both are very dangerous to the homeschool community. The ” too much” sends a message and sets a standard to the school systems that they can start requiring more and more from us as homeschoolers because people doing “too much” have set that precedent and people blindly comply thinking that is the intent of the regs. Then there are those so set against and paranoid to give anything that they hurt the homeschool community by creating friction between homeschoolers and the school districts. Some folks are promoting that people should either not send any curriculum or outline as required by the regs because they say it is for informational purposes only and they think that means it is optional. But clearly the regs state both must be sent as part of the notification. Then some of these folks tell people to just restate the part of the regs that tell us to affirm which subjects we are obligated to teach our kids as homeschoolers. No, just restating the subjects themselves back to the superintendent and thinking that is sufficient for your outline is not enough. If it was then the affirmation of the subjects in the regs would not be a separate requirement from the outline and intended curriculum section that is required from us as Ohio homeschoolers.

What I do is somewhat minimal which is what is preferred by most homeschoolers since it confirms to the regs and keeps us compliant without putting red flags out there and forcing the hand of our school districts to question homeschooling regs and make them want to rewrite them. People worked hard to get us the regs we do have that are more flexible than that of other states. In my opinion it is a good balance between the over regulation some states have for homeschoolers and the very liberal regs that some states have. The real liberal ones leave a big door open for anti-homeschool advocates to push for more strict requirements that have the potential to adversely affect all homeschoolers. For my outline I merely list each subject and at least one topic I may cover for each during the year. I do not go out of the way to list a detailed list of everything but I do list at least an idea so the school districts know that I have some type of plan in place which is really what they are wanting to know. They want some type of assurance we are going to in fact teach our kids. For curriculum I sometimes state a few books we may use and some resources such as library both public and home, activities such as karate or band, musical instruments, etc.. I always always put a statement on each that this is for informational purposes only which goes along with what the regs state as well. Note that does not mean giving the information is optional just that it is for information only not a requirement I will stick to it or they can force me to stick to what I say.

Why do I tell you all this? Because I know several folks in the homeschool community that get people to give too little or even nothing at all of what is required by the regs; they end up hurting those families because those homeschoolers believe what those folks say instead of what is stated in the regs. I have seen folks have to go back and forth with the Super til they receive their notification and go through a lot of unnecessary stress etc. The people who tell them not to send what is required or too little of it end up pushing them to stand up for what they did and well you can see where that goes. Some of these folks have their followers but that does not necessarily mean they are correct in what they say or do. Please be aware of what the regs say and use common sense and judgment when creating your notifications and providing your assessment options. It will benefit not only you and your family but your fellow homeschoolers as well. No I am not perfect either but I strongly believe each of us need to read and understand the regs and what is required of us on our own and not rely on someone else to read it and interpret it for us. As homeschoolers, we need firsthand knowledge of our rights and obligations. I always suggest people have a printed copy of the regs on hand in a folder as a reference as well as to maintain copies of your notification and assessments. It is a good lesson for us as well as our kids not only for this but for all areas of our lives.

Filed under: Home, Homeschool by Barbara
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