HEARTS
Homeschoolers

According to FL 1002.41 As used in this section, the term “home education program” has the same meaning as in s. 1002.01. A home education program is not a school district program and is registered with the district school superintendent only for the purpose of complying with the state’s attendance requirements under s. 1003.21

Therefore the school disrict does not dictate, the curriuclum you would use, the hours needed to complete a school day or the number of school days needed to constitute a school year.

Yes, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states.

Florida’s compulsory attendance law. Statute 1003.01 (13) gives parents the choice of achieving regular school attendance through one of these provisions: Public school, Parochial, Religious or Denominational school, Private school or Home-education program, Private tutoring program.

Four of these options are in the private sector — ultimately parents choose the setting, curriculum, opportunities and educational experiences.

The parent is not required to hold a valid regular Florida teaching certificate.

Any parent can!

According to FL 1000.21(5) Definition of Parent“Parent” is either or both parents of a

student, any guardian of a student, any person in a parental relationship to a student, or any person exercising supervisory authority over a student in place of the parent. The parent of a school-aged child is resposible to manage and direct the child's education.

A child turning 6 before February 1 of the school year must register with the county at the beginning of the current school year.

No. You can begin your home education program at any time of the year. You can also withdraw from public school at any time during the school year. Just Follow the steps to begin a home education program detailed under All About Homeschooling.

The annual educational evaluation shall consist of one of the following:

1. A teacher selected by the parent shall evaluate the student’s educational progress upon review of the portfolio and discussion with the student. Such teacher shall hold a valid regular Florida certificate to teach academic subjects at the elementary or secondary level; 2. The student shall take any nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher; 3. The student shall take a state student assessment test used by the school district and administered by a certified teacher, at a location and under testing conditions approved by the school district; 4. The student shall be evaluated by an individual holding a valid, active license pursuant to the provisions of FL s. 490.003(7) or (8); or 5. The student shall be evaluated with any other valid measurement tool as mutually agreed upon by the district school superintendent of the district in which the student resides and the student’s parent. (2) The district school superintendent shall accept the results of the annual educational evaluation of the student in a home education program. If the student does not demonstrate educational progress at a level commensurate with her or his ability, the district school superintendent shall notify the parent, in writing, that such progress has not been achieved. The parent shall have 1 year from the date of receipt of the written notification to provide remedial instruction to the student. At the end of the 1-year probationary period, the student shall be reevaluated as specified in paragraph (1)(f). Continuation in a home education program shall be contingent upon the student demonstrating educational progress commensurate with her or his ability at the end of the probationary period.

See our website for evaluators our members recommend. Sample of the form the evaluator will provide for you to email to the school board.

We recommend you watch this very helpful video. Portoflios requirements begin ~ 7:20

You just have to make the decision! The School district needs to be notified within 30 days of you starting you home education program. You notify them by emailing a letter of intent. The letter of inent along with instructions can be found in our website under the All About Homeschooling tab.

If your student was previously a public school student, you must withdraw from school. Don't skip this step, the school board will not notify the school of your student's change of status.

Please visit the All About Homeschooling tab on the website for a step by step descrition of the process.

No. A home education program shall be excluded from meeting the requirements of a school day. There is no minimum number of days and there is no need to record grades or attendance. Home education programs are not required to keep track of that information.

You can go the website listed below and see what students from K -8th grade need to know by the end of the school year. You can use it as a guidelines to help you focus on specific benchmarks.

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/what-your-child-should-have-learned-kindergarten-to-8th-grade/

The state does not regulate curriculum. You provide the materials, which means to get to choose what works best for you and your child!

There are many free resources HERE

Here are two good websites to find reviews and explore available curriculum:

https://www.christianbook.com/

https://www.rainbowresource.com/

Check out Ebay and Facebook used curriulum to get materials at reduced prices.