How annoying a ride this has been just to get the kids in there. For home schoolers, NYS requires a Notice of Intent sent to the school board by July 1. An “IHIP” or basically a curriculum in within six weeks of the Notice of Intent, quarter reports with samples of work handed in each quarter, and starting at second grade, some sort of assessment every other year, and every year in high school. This can range from a standardized test to a statement hand written by a teacher. We used St. Thomas Aquinas Home School Academy for the older grades (which I highly recommend) and they assessed the kids at the beginning of the school year to devise their curriculum, so I sent that in.
This local school district, for whatever reason, always asks for more than the legally required, such as they make up their own outline for an IHIP demanding booklists with publisher and author names, they send me out dates for the state tests stating the kids must take these specific state tests, they send me quarter report notices when the traditional school semester ends despite the fact that the law states 180 days out of the school year, not that it has to be within the traditional day after Labor Day until the last week of June.
After all that work, at the end of HS, all you have to show for it is you were simply “compliant”. They do not get a diploma. You can get a GED, or take an additional 24 credits at a community college. Home schoolers are not elegible to take the state Regents exams which would entitle students to a Regents dipolma, which is basically a passport to NYC schools. Since money is an object, we were hoping Rosey Posey could attend a state school, at least in the beginning.
With all that attention and demands on our home school, you would think they are super attentive to their traditional students. You’d think.
We were told by the HS, since our kids were home schooled, that our records (all that dang paperwork I submitted) would be at the school district office, and to give the home schooling liason (the woman who sends all the threatening letters letting me know they are watching me) a call so they can figure out what grade to put Rosey Posey in. They said since we didn’t use a “state curriculum” and take the “state tests” she might have to repeat ninth grade to get credit. Part of me was annoyed, and part of me knew we would have to pay for our home schooling insolence, so I warned Rosey Posey, who of course, threatened to run away.
We called the school district office, and left a message. And called again. And again. Fed up, we stopped by her office. She was in the back and when the secretary said we were there (we could see her) she said “tell them I’m busy”. Oh my husband was livid.
We went from there right back to the high school guidance office. The secretary (who is a very nice lady) didn’t understand why they nor we had not heard from the school district home schooling liason lady (her exact title of “Director of State and Federal Projects”) have not gotten back to them or us. My husband who was angry said “because she refused to see us!” I said “Now Polo, they said she was busy.”
“No, don’t correct me! She refused to see us.”
Perhaps I should not have corrected him, because less than an hour later, Rosey Posey who was at home (we left there and went to the store) got a call from the guidance counselor 9this was last Friday) saying they are putting her in tenth grade, into the college-bound course of study and take it from there. If it’s too hard or too easy, they will tweak the classes as needed. She said to call first thing Tuesday morning to come in and devise her schedule. What a relief.
Tuesday comes and we call at 8.30 AM…and call…nothing.
Wednesday comes and we call. Finally we get a return call around noonish (school started yesterday-Thursday). The guidance counselor said “now who are you and why are you calling?” we explained “How can I devise your curriculum without your records?”
Bangs head against wall. “Oh, I think it’s coming back to me…” Deo Gratias we went in, devised a schedule which I swear is identical to my 10th grade schedule.
I had a “proud Momma” moment when the counselor asked if she wanted to take health 1 health class is needed for graduation. Rosey Posey asked “is that sex ed?”
The counselor skirted “yeah, it’s about the body and health issues and some sex talk in involved. ”
” I don’t want to do sex ed.”
OK, I guess we’ll hold off.
She also wanted to know if Rosey Posey had ever done things like be around people before, ever been inside a school, ever played a sport, ever seen other children. I thought despite everything, the lady was genuinely nice and probably had no idea she was speaking in terms of stereotypes vs. reality. We had a nice chuckle about it after the fact.
For the first time, Rosey Posey, who had been threatening to never, ever forgive me for as long as live for putting her in school, and was going to run away, seemed excited.
OHmygosh, we spent a fortune on necessary school supplies, gym sneakers, a rudimentary wardrobe…what was needed in binders, boxes of tissues, correct pens, index cards etc. we could have used on home schooling books for nearly everyone.
More in a bit…