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House Bill 675.
The governor’s goal was to “ensure that parents would be able to pass the same test that the children are asked to pass,” said his press secretary, Ellen Qualls.
Warner now must decide whether to sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature. He has until July 1 to make that decision.
Under current law, parents who have only a high school diploma and want to homeschool their children have two options:
• They must enroll their children in a correspondence course approved by Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction.
• Or they must follow a curriculum that, in the judgment of the division superintendent, includes the Standards of Learning objectives adopted by the state Board of Education. Parents also must show that they can provide an adequate education for their children.
Families who home-school under a religious exemption do not have the same requirements.
In contrast, parents who have a college degree can homeschool their children without a state-approved curriculum. House Bill 675 would give the same latitude to parents with only a high school degree.
Shay Seaborne, who has a high school diploma, has been home-schooling her two children — Caitlin, 14 and Laurel, 11 — for nine years.
“Like all parents who file under the Home Instruction Statute, we are required to provide annual evidence of progress for each child. I believe this is enough accountability and an adequate safety net,” she said.
Once the bill takes effect, Seaborne said she will no longer have to refer to the SOLs in the description of her children’s program of study, and she will not have to provide evidence of her ability to teach.
According to the Virginia Home Education Association, the number of home-schooled children in the state has increased steadily: from 14,323 in the 2000-01 school year, to 16,107 in 2001-02, to 16,542 in 2002-03.
92.6%