A public school district in Florida’s panhandle appears to be exploiting the law in an effort to monitor homeschooling families more closely.

It’s an alarming trend we felt you should know about, even as HSLDA works to put an end to it.

Homeschoolers in Bay County have informed us that after parents file a homeschool notice of intent for the first time, they receive a letter from local school officials demanding they attend in-person student portfolio reviews.

Once such letter an HSLDA member family showed us included this imperative: “Both student and parent need to be in attendance.”

It added, “failure to provide a portfolio review will cause the student to be terminated from homeschool.”

This is a distortion of the law.

Getting It Wrong

Florida law requires homeschooling parents to keep records and samples of their students’ work for two years. Local school officials may ask to see these records with 15 days written notice. However, nothing under Florida law requires a school official to review the portfolio.

The intent of the law was to enable school officials to request records when there was some evidence or specific concern about the homeschool program. In our opinion, a parent who has followed Florida law in establishing their home education program is presumed to be operating a bona-fide homeschool program.

Homeschool parents should not have to prove that they are able to direct their child’s home education program before they begin. Florida law already requires homeschool parents to conduct an annual evaluation, most often by a certified teacher or by having the student take a standardized achievement test. School officials should not seek to review homeschool portfolios unless there is a good reason to believe the parents are failing in their legal obligation to provide a substantive education.

And there is certainly no mandate for officials to insist parents and children submit to in-person interviews.

I’ve communicated with Bay County school officials many times regarding this issue, and they assure me they’re only trying to help.

“Sometimes parents have questions,” is what they say to justify their policy.

I can’t help but suspect a different motive. Bay District Schools appear to be trying to judge whether individual parents are competent to homeschool.

Here for You

In any case, we feel we’re in a good position to challenge the district’s current policy on portfolio reviews by simply enforcing the law and standing up for those who are just starting to homeschool their children.

It’s a work in progress, but we hope to have news of a positive resolution soon.

Meanwhile, I wanted to assure you of my personal commitment to fighting for homeschool freedom in the Sunshine State.