Clermont-Northeastern Local School District
Bylaws & Policies
 

5463.01 - HOME SCHOOLING INFORMATION

It is the policy of the Clermont Northeastern Board of Education to provide consistent application of the prescribed conditions governing the rules for excuses from compulsory attendance for home education and to safeguard the primary right of parents/guardians to provide the education for their child(ren).

The Board operates under the State Board of Education Rules for Excuses from Compulsory Attendance for Home Education, R.C. 3301-34-01 through R.C. 3301-3406, which provide for the right of home education and imposes requirements that must be fulfilled by the parent(s)/guardian(s) and student(s) electing this option. All applications for home education must be made through the Clermont County Educational Service Center, Office of the Superintendent.

For the purpose of this policy, "home education" is defined as educational services directed and delivered by the parent or guardian of a child who is of compulsory education age and is not enrolled in a nonpublic school.

Although students choosing home education are not the direct responsibility of the Clermont Northeastern Local Schools, the Board and staff share an interest in their education. Therefore, the School District will permit students receiving home education access to certain services from the District as follows:

Grade 5-12:

 A.Must be a resident of the District and be enrolled in a minimum of one (1) course.
 B.Full-time, home-educated students may participate in school-sponsored co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, not including interscholastic athletics. Part-time, home-educated students may participate in all school-sponsored co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, including interscholastic athletics.
 C.Part-time students who wish to participate in interscholastic sports must be enrolled in a minimum of one (1) class and are subject to all policies and rules established by the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the Board for athletic eligibility and conduct. Enrollment in Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) satisfies this requirement. The high school/middle school principals and athletic director will establish guidelines that enable part-time students to qualify for athletic participation and eligibility under these policies.

Home education students enrolling part-time must be legal residents of the School District, adhere to all regular school enrollment requirements, comply with and be accountable to the student code of conduct and be in compliance with all other guidelines as determined by the Superintendent.

The following procedures and regulations will be observed in administering this policy:

 A.Home Education and Notification Process
  1.To be excused from compulsory attendance for the purpose of home education, parents/guardians must submit to the Office of the Superintendent of the Clermont County Educational Service Center all notification requirements and fulfill all obligations as specified in R.C. 3301-34-01 through R.C. 3301-34-06, and as required by the Superintendent of the Clermont County Educational Service Center.
  2.Students who are excused from attendance at school by reason of home education will be deemed to have withdrawn from enrollment in the Clermont Northeastern Local Schools during the period of home schooling.
  3.Home-educated students will be required to take norm-reference, standardized achievement tests and proficiency tests that are regularly scheduled for the District students of similar age to fulfill one (1) of the student academic options prescribed by the State rules. These tests are given at selected grade levels and must be taken during the regular administration of the tests. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to make arrangements with the school of attendance. The Clermont Northeastern Local School District will not pay for testing outside the School District.
 B.Part-Time District Enrollment for Home Education Students
  1.In addition to fulfilling the requirements for approval of home education by the Superintendent of the Clermont County Educational Service Center, those home education students who wish to enroll in the Clermont Northeastern Local Schools on a part-time basis must complete and return an application to the Superintendent of the Clermont Northeastern Local School District by the First Monday in August prior to the intended school year of enrollment.
  2.Students enrolling part-time must be legal residents of the School District and follow regular school enrollment requirements, and will be assigned on a space available basis.
  3.Approval of part-time enrollment for home-educated students will not be approved if classroom student capacity levels exceed twenty-five (25) students in grades 5-12. The principal, under special circumstances, may waive these numbers.
  4.The scheduling of class times remains the total responsibility of the building principal.
  5.Home education students enrolled as part-time basis students must complete all course work normally required and will be graded on the same guidelines as other full-time students.
  6.A home-educated student's grade point average will be established for award and class rank purposes only after the student has enrolled full-time and attended school in the District for three (3) consecutive semesters.
  7.The teacher may evaluate student readiness for courses with pre-requisites during the first two (2) weeks of the class, and the teacher may decide the student is not adequately prepared for the course, and recommend the student's withdrawal from the course.
  8.The content of instruction provided in the School District is determined by courses of study approved by the Clermont Northeastern Local Board.
  9.A part-time enrolled child is entitled to special education and related services under IDEA, classroom accommodation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and/or District Intervention Assistance Team services subject to applicable eligibility requirements and parent/guardian consent.
  10.Transportation is the responsibility and obligation of the parent/guardian/student when regularly scheduled buses and routes are not available. The School District will not run any additional bus routes to accommodate home school students.
  11.Part-time enrollment is allowed one (1) time each school year and is expected to be for the remainder of the year. Attendance must begin within the first week of the grading period or within one (1) week of the date on which the child's parent/guardian becomes a legal resident of the School District.
  12.Every child enrolled part-time is subject to all policies of the Board (including those pertaining to enrollment, immunizations, grading, attendance, fees, and conduct) and to all procedures (including those pertaining to medical emergency information, program eligibility, reporting absences, consequences, imposed for discipline) of the school and School District. Attendance, ethnic, and performance data for each child enrolled in public schools in Ohio are collected for building, District, and State reports.
  13.The final decision regarding admission and placement of all home education students enrolled part-time in the District rests with the Superintendent of Schools.
  14.The parent/guardian shall provide the Superintendent with written notice to withdraw a child from part-time enrollment. An exit interview may be requested upon withdrawal.
 C.Full-Time Enrollment or Re-Enrollment of Students from Home Education
  1.The District shall enroll or re-enroll a child who has been home educated without discrimination or prejudice. The Superintendent shall determine the appropriate placement of such students in accordance with R.C. 3319.01.
  2.Students enrolling full-time must be residents of the District and follow regular school enrollment requirements and will be assigned on a space available basis.
  3.Placement will be made by the Superintendent or designated building principal based upon:
   a.review of the child's most recent annual academic assessment report;
   b.the age of the child;
   c.require the child to take any or the entire national normed standardized achievement tests, competency based educational tests that are regularly scheduled for District students of similar age;
   d.other evaluation information that may include, but is not limited to, interviews with the child and/or parent(s)/guardian(s) and review of the student's work portfolio.
  4.Returning students will be encouraged to re-enter at the beginning of a grading period.
  5.Full-time, home-educated students are not eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics.
  6.Awarding course credits at the high school level for work completed during approved home education will be determined by the following:
   a.The building principal, counselor, teachers, and others deemed appropriate by the building principal will review all pertinent information and make a decision concerning class placement and warding of credits for work completed while home educated.
   b.Parents/Guardians must provide an academic assessment report for each class taken. This information will include, but is not limited to:
    1)a portfolio of completed work;
    2)sample tests and test scores;
    3)resources and books used in the class;
    4)samples of student work;
    5)standardized test scores;
    6)courses of study;
    7)the number of hours of course work in each subject;
    8)all grades.
   c.All home education courses will be given a grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
   d.A student may be required to take any or all of the nationally-normed, standardized achievement tests that are regularly scheduled for District students of similar age.
   e.Other evaluation information that may include interviews with the child and/or parents/guardians.
   f.Parents may request that their child be administered a semester or final exam to help determine awarding of credit.
  7.All students wishing to graduate from the Clermont Northeastern Local School District must pass all required proficiency tests and meet all other State and District graduation requirements. Part-time students will not be required to take Proficiency Tests or other achievement tests unless required to do so by the Ohio Department of Education and/or the Ohio revised code.
  8.A home education student must be enrolled full-time for the last three (3) semesters of high school in order to graduate with a Clermont Northeastern Local School District diploma.
  9.A home education student's grade point average will be established for awards and class rank purposes only after the student has attended Clermont Northeastern Local School on a full-time basis for three (3) consecutive semesters (excluding summer school) prior to the beginning of the second semester of the student's senior year.
  10.A home education student's eligibility for National Honor Society will be established only after the student has been enrolled at Clermont Northeastern High School full-time for two (2) consecutive semesters (excluding summer school) prior to the semester in which induction is made.
  11.Students may not withdraw to home school in the effort to continue or begin extra-curricular participation. Once a student has been enrolled in a public or non-public school, they cannot withdraw to home school in an effort to attend on a part-time basis and expect to participate in extra-curricular/co-curricular activities.

Adopted 9/15/05