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Seriously?!?!?
Apparently the requirements for the subsidy program in NJ are that any child over 6yo is required to be either:
"A full-time elementary or secondary school student; or
"Incapable of attending school on a full time basis due to a documented medical condition."
And whichever one applies, you have to show evidence of this annually.
So if you're homeschooling a child for reasons that have nothing to do with medical necessity as documented by a medical professional, you lose your subsidy.
SERIOUSLY????
My daughter is 2yo now so it's not immediately applicable and I'm not positive we'll homeschool her, but it's HIGHLY likely (we homeschool my older son--but we would always do what the child most responds to).
This essentially says I can't do that and continue to receive subsidy for her.
Has anyone heard of a challenge to this? I saw it on the initial agreement, but I honestly thought that it meant AT THE TIME OF AGREEMENT--not ongoing. And I just re-read that agreement now and I see where it can (still) be a misleading thing--so I don't feel like I overlooked it in haste of reading.
The state knew that we were a homeschooling family and nobody said a word. Surprising? Not really.
But in a state like NJ where homeschooling is perfectly legal, I find it amazing that this hasn't been challenged--or that it couldn't be challenged.
Thoughts?
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Hmmm... not in NJ but we did homeschool and I think the wording is vague. I would have considered my son a full-time elementary school student, it does not say public-school student. Interesting!
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It says a full time student. Homeschooled children are considered full time students. It shouldn't be an issue.
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lucyjoy
It says a full time student. Homeschooled children are considered full time students. It shouldn't be an issue.
You know, I was thinking this exact same thing. It just says that you have to show evidence and we moved from NJ to IL and neither state requires (nor has a system for) "registration" of a home school (unlike other states where you really just fill out a form and literally name your "school" as if it were an actual brick & mortar private school). I guess I'll need to figure out how to provide the annual "evidence". I'm not feeling like a letter signed by me or my husband is going to suffice given our history with the state--where they have pushed us on actual medical issues documented by TWO board-licensed doctors. :(
Man... did that ever get my blood pumping.
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I would call HSLDA and see what their lawyers have to say about it. There is a free number you can call on their website. If this is the case this is the sort of thing they like to challenge in court. You might also consider joining a distance learning school of some sort so that your child could be considered a private school student. It can be as easy as sending in a portfolio of work samples once a year, and I've seen some that only cost a few hundred dollars.
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RhondaBear
I would call HSLDA and see what their lawyers have to say about it. There is a free number you can call on their website. If this is the case this is the sort of thing they like to challenge in court. You might also consider joining a distance learning school of some sort so that your child could be considered a private school student. It can be as easy as sending in a portfolio of work samples once a year, and I've seen some that only cost a few hundred dollars.
Hmmm... yeah, I'll have to wait a few years to call HSLDA for anything: they refunded my membership fee when I couldn't continue a conversation on the phone vs. in writing/e-mail regarding the use of my membership fees for political actions that I felt were not related to homeschooling (specifically, fighting against gay marriage). They are extremely conservative christian and they saw this as threatening the rights and freedoms of parents. I didn't. So they told me I was free to "unjoin" and refunded my money without further discussion.
Needless to say that while I agree they may be the most appropriate place to answer this, my name may be a little too fresh in their minds to make that call now. :o Then again, the love to jump on these cases so I'm not sure they'll care where the "tip" comes from.
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I have a feeling that the rule is in place more to deal with drop outs than home schoolers. My friend had a 16 year old who wanted to drop out, she told her that since her subsidy would quit if she did, then the girl had better plan on getting a job to start paying for stuff. The girl decided to stay in school. LOL. I think that some of the kids who had rough starts in life are probably more likely to drop out and this is one way to try to keep that from happening.
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