Lewisburg Area School District Policies	Printable version
137 Home Education Programs 137. HOME EDUCATION PROGRAMS Home education programs for students residing in the school district shall be conducted in accordance with state law and regulations. Home Education Program - a program conducted in compliance with School Code Section 1327.1 by the parent or guardian or such person having legal custody of the child/children. A Home Education program shall not be considered a nonpublic school under the provisions of this act. Supervisor - the parent or guardian or such person having legal custody of the child or children who shall be responsible for provision of instruction, provided that such person has a high school diploma or its equivalent. Hearing Examiner - shall not be an officer, employee or agent of the Department of Education or of the school district or intermediate unit of residence of the child in the Home Education program. Appropriate Education - a program consisting of instruction in the required subjects for the time required by state law and in which the student demonstrates sustained progress. Eligibility/Affidavits A notarized affidavit of the parent or guardian or other person having legal custody of the child or children shall be filed prior to commencement of the Home Education program and annually thereafter on August 1 with the Superintendent of the school district and which sets forth: 1. Name of the supervisor of the Home Education program who shall be responsible for the provision of instruction. 2. Name and age of each child who shall participate in the Home Education program. 3. Address and telephone number of the Home Education program site. 4. That subjects as required by law are offered in the English language, including an outline of proposed education objectives by subject area and evidence that the child has been immunized and has received the health and medical services required for students of the child's age or grade level. The affidavit shall contain a certification to be signed by the supervisor that the supervisor, all adults in the home and persons having legal custody of a child or children in the Home Education program have not been convicted of criminal offenses as enumerated in Section 111 of the School Code. TransfersIn the event of the Home Education program relocating to another school district, the supervisor must apply, by registered mail, to the Superintendent of the Lewisburg Area School District, requesting a letter of transfer for the Home Education program to the district to which the Home Education program is relocating. The letter of transfer must be filed by the supervisor of the Home Education program with the Superintendent of the new school district of residence. The letter of transfer shall be issued no later than thirty (30) days after receipt of the registered mail request of the Home Education program supervisor. Program A child who is enrolled in a Home Education program and whose education is therefore under the direct supervision of his/her parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody shall be deemed to have met the requirements if the program provides a minimum of one hundred eighty (180) days of instruction or nine hundred (900) hours of instruction per year at the elementary level, or nine hundred ninety (990) hours per year at the secondary level. At the elementary level, the following courses shall be taught: English, to include spelling, reading and writing; arithmetic; science; geography; history of the United States and Pennsylvania; civics; safety education, including dangers and prevention of fires; health and physiology; physical education; music; and art. At the secondary level, the following courses shall be taught: English, to include language, literature, speech and composition; science; geography; social studies, to include civics, world history, history of the United States and Pennsylvania; mathematics, to include general mathematics, algebra and geometry; art; music; physical education; health; and safety education, including regular and continuous instruction in the dangers and prevention of fires. Such courses of study may include, at the discretion of the supervisor, economics; biology; chemistry; foreign languages; trigonometry; or other age-appropriate courses as contained in Chapter 4 curriculum requirements of the State Board of Education.Loan of Instructional MaterialsThe District shall, at the request of the supervisor, lend to the Home Education program copies of the school district’s planned courses, textbooks, and other curriculum materials appropriate to the student’s age and grade level. Participation in School ActivitiesHome Education students living in the District shall be allowed to participate in school activities such as educational trips and club activities that are appropriate for a student's educational level (i.e., elementary, middle school, high school), as determined by the Superintendent or designee. However, in order to participate, home-educated students shall meet the same eligibility and daily attendance requirements as publicly schooled students.Graduation Requirements Students who complete Home Education requirements may receive a diploma from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The following minimum courses in grades 9 through 12 are established as a requirement for graduation in a Home Education program: four years of English; three years of mathematics; three years of science; three years of social studies; two years of arts and humanities. Lewisburg Area School District may permit Home Education students to enroll in district courses on a space-available basis. Students who are enrolled in the Lewisburg Area School District, meeting minimum scheduling requirements during the 11th and 12th grade that otherwise meet District graduation requirements, shall be awarded a Lewisburg Area School District diploma. The Lewisburg Area School District shall grant credit toward graduation for Home Education courses through the tenth grade. Credit toward graduation will not be granted for Home Education courses taken during the eleventh and twelfth grades. Any student who is a junior or senior must be enrolled as a full-time student in the Lewisburg Area School District or have transferred from a state accredited public or private school in order to receive credit toward a Lewisburg Area School District diploma. Requirements of Supervisor In order to demonstrate that appropriate education is occurring, the supervisor shall provide and maintain on file a portfolio for each student enrolled in the Home Education program. The portfolio shall consist of a log, made contemporaneously with the instruction, that includes: : 1. Reading materials used, listed by title.2. Samples of any writings: worksheets, workbooks, creative materials used or developed by the student.3. As appropriate, results of nationally normed standardized achievement tests in reading, language arts, and mathematics, or results of statewide tests or the statewide tests not administered by the child's parent or guardian. Evaluation Requirements 1. A teacher or administrator who evaluates a portfolio at the elementary level shall have at least two years of experience in grading any of the following subjects: English, to include spelling, reading, and writing; arithmetic; science; geography; history of the United States and Pennsylvania; and civics.2. A teacher or administrator who evaluates a portfolio at the secondary level shall have at least two years of experience in grading any of the following subjects; English, to include language, literature, speech, reading and composition; science, to include biology, chemistry and physics; geography; social studies, to include economics, civics, world history, history of the United States and Pennsylvania; foreign language; and mathematics, to include general mathematics, algebra, trigonometry, calculus and geometry. 3. An annual written evaluation of the student's educational progress as determined by a licensed clinical or school psychologist, a teacher certified by the Commonwealth, or a nonpublic school teacher or administrator is required. The evaluation shall also be based on an interview of the child and a review of the portfolio and shall certify whether or not an appropriate education is occurring. At the request of the supervisor, persons with other qualifications may conduct the evaluation with the prior consent of the Superintendent. In no event shall the evaluator be the supervisor or his/her spouse. 4. Documentation required by this policy shall be provided to the school district Superintendent or designee at the conclusion of each school year. If a Superintendent or designee has a reasonable belief that, at any time during the school year, appropriate education may not be occurring in the Home Education program, s/he may send a certified letter requiring documentation pertaining to the portfolio, within fifteen (15) days, of receipt of the certified letter and may require documentation regarding the evaluation to be submitted within thirty (30) days of receipt of the certified letter If the Superintendent or designee determines, based on documentation, that appropriate education is not occurring, the Superintendent or designee shall send a letter to the supervisor stating that in the Superintendent’s opinion appropriate education is not occurring in the Home Education program and shall return all documentation, specifying what aspect(s) of the documentation are inadequate. The supervisor of the program shall have twenty (20) days from receipt of the certified letter to submit additional documentation demonstrating that appropriate education is taking place. If documentation is not submitted within that time, the Home Education program shall be out of compliance, and the student shall be promptly enrolled in the public or a nonpublic school. Right of Hearing If the Superintendent determines that the additional documentation submitted still does not demonstrate appropriate education is taking place in the Home Education program, s/he shall notify the supervisor of the Home Education program. The Board shall provide for a proper hearing by a duly qualified and impartial hearing examiner within thirty (30) days of the Superintendent’s notice to the Home Education supervisor. The examiner shall render a decision within fifteen (15) days of the hearing, except that s/he may require the establishment of a remedial education plan mutually agreed to by the Superintendent and supervisor of the Home Education program which shall continue the Home Education program. The decision of the examiner may be appealed by either the supervisor or the Superintendent to the Secretary of Education or Commonwealth Court. If the hearing examiner finds that the documentation does not indicate that appropriate education is taking place in the Home Education program, the home program shall be out of compliance and the student shall be promptly enrolled in a public or nonpublic school or a licensed private academic school. References: School Code – 24 P.S. Sec. 111, 1327, 1327.1State Board of Education Regulations – 22 PA Code Chapter 4, Sec. 11.31aBoard Policy – 203, 209