Drawing the line in Mississippi

Natalie explains how the blurring of lines between independent home education and virtual public schools may be causeing problems for independent homeschoolers in her post Drawing the line in Mississippi

Blurring the line between independent home education and public school at home has real consequences, and there are a lot of people (VPS service providers, state education departments, legislators, etc) who benefit from the confusion. If VPS makes public schoolers look like homeschoolers, efforts to make homeschooling look like public school may gain momentum. Mississippi Senator Sampson Jackson II has submitted a bill that would require homeschoolers in Mississippi to conform to public school benchmarks and submit to standardized testing. After four consecutive years (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008), Senator Jackson’s persistance may finally pay off. HSLDA has issued an emotional elert to combat this bill for the first time, resulting in a slew of emails to “stop this horrendous bill.”

Clarity in language is a tool that must be utilized to combat confusion, educate families and expose opportunists. Other states have fought to make this distinction clear. The time has come to draw the line in Mississippi.

Please read her entire post at Home Eduction Magazine.

School Districts Trying to Lure Homeschoolers With Virtual Schools

The Madison Metropolitan School District is developing a virtual campus and curriculum. The idea has been in the works for several years, but the district hopes to make it widely available for the 2006-2007 school year. The district is trying to bring back state aid for the more than 400 students currently home-schooled in the district.

While I think virtual schools should be an option, it needs to made clear that IF you choose to enroll your child in a PUBLIC virtual school, you are NO LONGER homeschooling. You will lose much of the freedom you enjoy as a homeschooler and your child will be subject to the same requirements as public school students including NCLB.