You're thinking about homeschooling your children . . .
Perhaps you've been planning to do so since your first child was born. Perhaps the thought of sending your child to middle school has got you thinking maybe home would be better. Maybe your child has been bullied at school or is not getting the personal attention he needs to master reading.
Whatever your reasons for considering homeschooling, you need to do a lot of research. There are legal issues to deal with to make sure you are compliant with the North Carolina law. You must make curriculum choices - and there are many, many options. You know you need to get your home life organized, because homeschooling is a full-time job. You're not sure where to begin. Hopefully the links below will get you started. These will often lead you to other links and you're off and running.
When you're ready to commit to homeschooling, we strongly encourage you to find a support group near you, whether it is WWHEAT or another group. While there is a huge amount to be learned from web sites and books, there is no substitute for the caring support of real live people and learning from the personal experience of those "in the trenches."
North Carolina Department of Non-Public Education
DNPE is the state government department responsible for the oversight of private and home schools. On this site you will find a summary of the rules governing homeschooling in North Carolina as well as required forms.
Notifying the State
If your child is 7, but not yet 16, or is 16 and over and planning to drive you will need to file with the state a “Notice of Intent to Operate a School.” This is something you need only do one time, when your first open your school. You will need to select a name for your school. Put some thought into this, because you will not be able to change it later.
The Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) encourages you to use their online filing system, although you can also file via snail mail. You will also need to locate your high school or college diploma, or an equivalent and be able to fax it to DNPE within one day of filing electronically. In the past, before the online system, you would receive a salmon-colored card verifying your registration and compliance with the law. If you file online, you will now get an email confirmation -- make several copies and DON'T LOSE IT. It is only issued one time and is sometimes required to get student discounts on software or museum entrances, etc. If you do lose it, there is a process to get a different verification form -- it's just easier not to lose the confirmation!
NOTE: Registrations are not accepted during the month of June.
FAQs About Student Registration from NCDNPE
Recommendations
WWHEAT has adopted as policy a letter dated 11-1-89 from the legal specialist of the NC Dept. of Public Instruction, interpreting GS 115C-364 and GS 115-378 together, which states, “If a child reaches age seven by the end of the first month of the school year, that child must attend school. If the child reaches age seven after that time, the law does not clearly require attendance. This point is subject to interpretation by school officials and ultimately judges.” Charlotte-Mecklenburg policy concurs with this DPI interpretation. The Department of Non-Public Education has a stricter interpretation. They expect parents to register a child for the whole year if the child reaches seven anytime before the end of the school year.
Keep a daily lesson log or plan book to indicate the subjects and material covered each day. This is not a state requirement, but is a good idea for your own records. The typical school year consists of 160-180 days, but the NC law merely requires that the homeschool operate on a regular schedule for nine months of the year.
Concerning the source of instruction, the law states, “Homeschool means a nonpublic school in which one or more children of not more than two families or households receive academic instruction from parents or legal guardians, or a member of either household.” North Carolinians for Home Education (NCHE), after consulting with attorneys familiar with homeschool law, supports this interpretation: that some academic instruction, but not all, must come from parents, legal guardians, or a member of the household. This interpretation allows homeschool students to receive some supplemental academic instruction from tutors or courses attended outside the home.
Homeschoolers are asked by DNPE to participate in an inspection by mail program, which involves sending copies of attendance and testing records to them by June 30 of each year. This is strictly voluntary. You will receive a grey card in the mail each year (sometimes you won't start getting them until your second or third year of homeschooling) which you can fill out and return, or you can use the online system. You are not required to participate and you are unlikely to get a home visit instead, although it is a possibility. See below. NOTE: Return your card in any case -- failure to do so may cause them to assume you are no longer homeschooling. Also, for the same reason, be prompt about sending changes of address to DNPE.
Recently DNPE has been asking homeschoolers in various areas of the state to bring records for inspection to a specified location at a specified time. According to HSLDA, "State law does not authorize DNPE to conduct such meetings or require homeschooling families to participate in such meetings. Further, state law only authorizes DNPE to inspect standardized test records, not attendance and immunization records. Parents must maintain attendance and immunization records, but they are not subject to routine inspection . . . Sections 115C-549 and 115C-557 of the General Statutes of North Carolina state that for one year after the standardized testing, the records must be made available for annual inspection at the principal office of the school at all reasonable times. This means that a DNPE official may come to your home, but not enter your home, to inspect the test results."
North Carolinians for Home Education
NCHE is an organization whose mission is to watch North Carolina legislation to see that the freedom to homeschool is preserved, to host a great homeschooling conference each May, and promote homeschooling as a positive educational option. This web site provides some useful information about getting started in homeschooling, as well as information about the annual conference and NCHE's newsletter The Greenhouse Report.
Essentials (PDF brochures from NCHE)
Home School Legal Defense Association
HSLDA was founded "to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms." The organization advocates homeschool-friendly legislation on both the national and state levels, and it also provides legal help to members in homeschool-related issues. The web site has some valuable hints for beginning homeschoolers, including helpful books, magazines, and other websites.
North Carolina Page - law, pending legistation, etc.
Homeschool Heartbeat Archives: short topical articles
Homeschool 101 at Suite101.com
An online "course" to introduce homeschooling -- covering such topics as things to do before you begin, choosing curriculum, setting up a learning environment in your home, insider secrets, planning and organizing and more.
This site contains articles on a wide variety of homeschooling topics like how to get started, homeschool methods, curricula, record-keeping and organization, specific subjects and a forum. It's a big site, so take it a little at a time!
Eclectic Homeschool Online Lite
This site contains information about beginning the journey of homeschooling with articles about choosing curricula, learning styles, teaching styles, homeschooling on a budget, as well as a large number of curriculum reviews. This "lite site" is less overwhelming than the full Eclectic Homeschool site, but when you are ready for more, click here for the full site.