Homeschool advocates say interest in homeschooling is surging with the fate of K-12 education still up in the air amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Coalition for Responsible Home Education Director Rachel Coleman says homeschool families must have a caregiver who can commit to homeschooling full time. If not, consider virtual enrollment through your district.
“It is you, there is not someone else who is going to be there helping, you have to figure that out which can be a beautiful wonderful experience it can be a great experience but you need to be willing to put the effort in to make sure it happens,” says Coleman.
The Louisiana Department of Education does not provide funding or resources for homeschooling.
Coleman says if you’re committed to home school for the coming semester you need to submit a form to BESE and be approved.
“You can find this on the board of education website under home study, and it is an online application and once you submit it they actually notify your school district,” says Coleman.
Coleman says you won’t have to worry about standardized tests, but you must, by law, offer a curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools of the same grade.
“Look at the state’s learning standards by grade. Most states have those online and you can see what kids are supposed to be learning in various grade levels and make sure that you cover that, especially if you are planning to put them back in school,” says Coleman.
Click here for the Louisiana Department of Education's home school resources.