Nc Dept Of Education

Homeschooling a growing trend in Johnston County - Fuquay-Varina ...

Homeschooling. Until recently, the most I knew about homeschooling was that it was something that I would never attempt, knowing myself and the personality of my children. But for many in Johnston County, and North Carolina, it will become a reality. In 2009/2010, the number of families that filed intent to home school was 7,297, a 1486% increase since 1987 when NC Department of Administration statistics became available. That number is most likely going to increase. Although families had undoubtedly homeschooled for years prior, it wasn’t until 1985 that the movement gained legal standing. That year, a Harnett County resident, Larry Delconte, challenged the State of NC in a case ultimately heard by the Supreme Court, arguing that home instruction should not be prohibited by NC compulsory school attendance statutes. Mr. Delconte and his wife had homeschooled their children in their native New Jersey but found themselves in conflict with the law after moving to North Carolina and not registering their children for public school. The Supreme Court ruled that Delconte was not in violation of the statute. In 1988, the NC General Assembly amended Article 39 of chapter 155C of the General Statutes to allow home instruction, under certain conditions, as a means of complying with compulsory school attendance requirements. It’s interesting to note that home schools fulfill the qualification of nonpublic schools requirement in that they receive no funding from the state of NC, a fact that gave the Delconte’s argument legal standing in the eyes of the Supreme Court. If a parent living in NC would like to home school (children must be at least age 7 but not yet age 16), they must have a high school diploma (or its equivalent) and they must send a Notice of Intent to Operate a Home School to the Division of Non-Public Education. There are other requirements, including decisions to operate as a religious or non-religious school, operating on a regular schedule, maintaining immunization and attendance records and administering a nationally standardized achievement test to each student. “Families decide to home school for a variety of reasons,” says Steinacker. Often it is for religious reasons where the curriculum mandated by the state does to fit in with their religious beliefs (evolution, for instance). Another reason could be the personality and learning style of the child. Some children obviously do not fit into a traditional classroom setting. Peer influence and the amount of bullying and violence that occur can sometimes be a factor. What about cost? That varies as well. Curriculum choices often drive the cost with that making up the bulk of the expenses. Whether a family buys new, used, or borrows from friends affect the bottom line. Families also have a choice of joining support groups such as co-ops or JCHE, whose purpose is to encourage, support and strengthen home school families in and around Johnston County. To help families wrap their arms around all the facts and focus on the decision to home school, JCHE holds an annual conference and book fair in July. This year’s event will be held July 9 at Wilson’s Mills Baptist Church in Smithfield. “The purpose of the book fair and conference is to encourage and educate the homeschooling community,” said Steinacker. That community would include anyone considering homeschooling for the first time. We're glad to give you a forum to air your point of view on issues important to this community. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use offensive language, ethnic or racial slurs, or assail anyone's personal or religious beliefs. For anyone who can't be civil, we reserve the right to remove your material. We also reserve the right to ban users who violate our visitor's agreement.

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