Dena Levitz, The Examiner
2008-05-08 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

New proposed rules for D.C. homeschoolers are much less strict than controversial regulations vetted earlier this spring, but still are causing some families to feel overburdened, sources told The Examiner.

D.C.’s State Superintendent’s Office began the process to change the guidelines for homeschoolers months ago. The first draft had some of the strictest provisions in the nation, requiring families to undergo home visits from education officials checking on the progress of their children’s schooling. The proposal also required families to cover specific subjects and charged parents with submitting evidence that their children have been immunized.

Outcry from the city’s homeschooling community led the office to reconsider the proposal and to drop some of the provisions.

So far, homeschoolers are giving the revised rules mixed reviews.

In a letter to families, Michael Donnelly, a lawyer who has represented homeschooling parents, states the tentative rules threaten parental freedom.

“These rules are marginally better ... but would still radically change the District’s current legal landscape for the worse and give the government more control over you and your children,” the letter states.

Officials removed the home visits, subject requirements and proof of immunization in the latest draft.

What’s left, however, is markedly more defined than the system that’s been in place for years.

For example, unless an exception is granted, parents would be required to have a high school diploma or equivalent to qualify for homeschooling, and they would have to keep a portfolio of their child’s work in case the State Superintendent’s Office wanted to review it.

“What bothers me about the new proposal is that basic principles onto which we had reached agreement didn’t make their way in,” said Ethan Reedy, a homeschooling parent involved in crafting the proposed rules. “We agreed to have a variety of ways for parents to assess their children’s progress. Instead we are left with a required portfolio review.”

Reedy also said he’s concerned that homeschoolers have no recourse if the State Superintendent’s Office challenges the quality of their schooling.

The Superintendent’s Office had been planning to tighten regulations when January events moved the effort to a higher priority. Banita Jacks was charged that month with killing her four daughters, who had been pulled out of the public schools on claims Jacks would homeschool them.

Education officials will gather public input on the regulations before making a decision on them next month.

dlevitz@dcexaminer.com