Preserving Home Schooling Rights
by Mimi Rothschild
Under United States law, home schooling is legal in every state and regulated individually depending on the state in which you reside. The home school environment in the broadest sense is defined as teaching within a home by a parent. However, with the growing popularity of home schooling, there are many variations on this definition such as learning co-operatives between parents, privately established home schools, and the Internet home school.
In some states, home schooled children are also allowed to participate in extracurricular activities and clubs established by the school district. These children are still considered home schooled, as the greatest percentage of their instruction is done outside of the government run classroom.
The Internet has made the lives of everyone much easier by providing a wealth of information. As a result of this, a new concept has arisen in the area of home schooling involving the use of an online or Internet home school. The Internet home school can provide teaching to children using a distance education format similar to an adult distance education program. There are two types of Internet home schools.
The first type of Internet home school consists of an independent private virtual school that provides all the lessons and materials necessary for your child to learn. They are not affiliated with any government agency and receive no funding from the government. The second type of Internet home school is basically a public school distance education program. They are not independent, but are instead affiliated with the local school board and receive funding from the government. While each type is called an Internet home school, there are different rules and regulations governing how they are conducted.
It is important to be aware of the type of Internet home school your child can attend since the laws and regulations governing each type will be different. In a private Internet home school, as long as you feel comfortable with the curriculum being taught and the progress your child is making, there should not be any problems. However in a publicly funded Internet home school, the government by law can determine what and how your child will be taught even if it is in your home. It is necessary to know the difference in the type of Internet home school you choose for your child in order to preserve the rights and freedoms of your children when it comes to home schooling.
For example, if your child attended an Internet home school funded by the public school board, there might be a difference of opinion between the parents and the school board if the children are being taught in an environment that is against the rules and regulations of the school board. If the parents have different morals, convictions, or philosophies on life than the school board, this could cause problems. Therefore, it is important to know what you and your children’s rights and freedoms are concerning home schooling so that they can be preserved for everyone to enjoy.
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