possibly moving to pennsylvania - hard to HS therre?

[meandk0610]

what's it like to HS in PA? hslda has them listed as red and it seems fairly restrictive but the housing is relatively cheap. i'm currently in MD (close to frederick), getting a divorce and full custody, and need to stay close enough to my job and so stbx can visit. i'd probably be looking for somewhere around rt 15 where it comes up from MD. thanks for any help/insights! (i know WV would be cheap and close but they don't have a religious exemption for vaccines. if anyone knows of a doctor in WV that will write up the exemption, i would consider WV also.)

[cappuccinosmom]

We live in PA. In our homeschooling groups, I've heard some complaints about the amount of record-keeping required, and that individual school districts can be very hard to deal with. One of my friends has been homeschooling for several years, keeping portfolios, dealing with the school district. She hasn't had any major troubles.

But there are plenty of homeschoolers in this state. I think the restrictions/difficulties can be annoying but still workable.

For us, we just went straight into a state cyber school so it's been a complete non-issue and my info is only second hand.

[shaywyn]

I am sure I'm being too nosy but I have a question. If you are homeschooling, why do you need a vax exemption?
From what I have witnessed from other homeschoolers who live in more restrictive states, it's usually a lot easier to deal with the regulations in practice than it seems it will be when you first read them. Kwim?
There are several Pennsylvania homeschoolers on this board, I'm sure you will get some good advice. Good luck!

[Lilcrunchie]

We just relocated to PA from NC and honestly, I do dread the record keeping here. On the bright side, my DS is only 6 and we have a few years until we have to report to the state (he'd be the equivalent age to a 3rd grader when we have to actually submit a portfolio and go through the evaluation process and testing). I think it is often much worse on paper than in reality, provided you know the law and feel confident in calling the school district on it when they ask for documentation, etc. that goes beyond the law. On the flip side, individual districts get leeway in their individual interpretation of the law to a point, which is what I think is a bit frustrating. You might check some of the online PA HSing groups out to find a "better" district for HSing in. However, the challenging part there is all it takes is a different person in charge one year and things can change.

I think there's a catch with WV...no religious exemption but I think they don't require HSers to have one? Something like that? Not sure if you need to avail yourselves of childcare or similar that *would* require an exemption or full vax on schedule however.

The askpauline site has some good info. There are yahoo groups for PA home educators, PA unschoolers, etc. that might be helpful.

Much luck to you.

[meandk0610]

vax exemptions

they do require vaccinations for HS kids in WV. part of giving notice in WV that you will be homeschooling your child is a required statement (i think the law said from the doctor) stating that the child has had all vaccinations and has had all "necessary" medical checkups.

thanks for the PA info. dd is about to turn 5 next week so i won't have to deal with paperwork for a while, but still, why move somewhere that's going to be a nightmare in the foreseeable future? it sounds like it might not be too bad.?

[LuxPerpetua]

We're not "on the books yet" as dd is only 4.5 but I've talked with a lot of hs-ing moms here in PA. From what everyone has said it really isn't a big deal. There is paperwork and there are tests at grades 3, 5, and 8, but ultimately none of these takes that much effort, from what I've been told. The nice thing about PA is that you don't need to register until age 8, and by law, hs'd children are allowed to participate in extracurricular activities at the local public school, which might be a good thing in the future. PA allows for religious vax exemptions but not philosophical, which is rather frustrating for us because we are selective vaxxers and are having to go to "none" because we don't want to choose "all." The AskPauline website has been very helpful to me in the past so you might want to browse there. Again, from what I've heard talking to other hs-ing moms, is that it sounds worse on paper than what it is.

[Harmony08]

Originally Posted by LuxPerpetua

We're not "on the books yet" as dd is only 4.5 but I've talked with a lot of hs-ing moms here in PA. From what everyone has said it really isn't a big deal. There is paperwork and there are tests at grades 3, 5, and 8, but ultimately none of these takes that much effort, from what I've been told. The nice thing about PA is that you don't need to register until age 8, and by law, hs'd children are allowed to participate in extracurricular activities at the local public school, which might be a good thing in the future. PA allows for religious vax exemptions but not philosophical, which is rather frustrating for us because we are selective vaxxers and are having to go to "none" because we don't want to choose "all." The AskPauline website has been very helpful to me in the past so you might want to browse there. Again, from what I've heard talking to other hs-ing moms, is that it sounds worse on paper than what it is.

Hey, I don't want to hijack the thread but this is our situation too (well except that ds is a toddler and we don't live in PA yet) I just find it so aggravating that it is all or none. Especially since dh is leaning towards ALL delayed as long as possible and I am leaning towards none.

Thanks for the informative thread. I feel less worried about the record keeping now.

[mary3mama]

Originally Posted by meandk0610

they do require vaccinations for HS kids in WV. part of giving notice in WV that you will be homeschooling your child is a required statement (i think the law said from the doctor) stating that the child has had all vaccinations and has had all "necessary" medical checkups.

Um, nope.
WV is pretty laid-back. In order to homeschool legally one must register with the local board of education (if child is between the ages of 6 - 16) and then each child should take a standardized test or have a portfolio review annually.

If you go with the 'notice' option the BOE has no authority to review or question your curriculum. As long as a certified teacher (certified in any state) signs a paper indicating that your child has no deficiencies that's all there is to it.

WV is a not-laid-back state about vaccinations, that is true. I know of no doctors that will give a medical exemption.

But if you are homeschooling it's not a problem. They don't ask, nor can they, as far as I can tell from reading the homeschooling statutes.

[Reebekah]

check out the pa dept of ed website and askpauline.com

basically, you have to submit objectives and notorized affidavit to school district (sd).....teach specific subjects, keep attendance, keep a log of materials used, keep portfolio of work done.....at end of year, submit log/portfolio/attendance to district along with report from approved evaluator. testing is required in grades 3, 5, 8.

i think the ease of homeschooling really depends on the school district. i live in a district where there are few or no other homeschoolers, so it will be interesting once i start reporting......but there are many other districts with lots of homeschoolers.

[meandk0610]

Originally Posted by mary3mama

Um, nope.
WV is pretty laid-back. In order to homeschool legally one must register with the local board of education (if child is between the ages of 6 - 16) and then each child should take a standardized test or have a portfolio review annually.

If you go with the 'notice' option the BOE has no authority to review or question your curriculum. As long as a certified teacher (certified in any state) signs a paper indicating that your child has no deficiencies that's all there is to it.

WV is a not-laid-back state about vaccinations, that is true. I know of no doctors that will give a medical exemption.

But if you are homeschooling it's not a problem. They don't ask, nor can they, as far as I can tell from reading the homeschooling statutes.

i swear i read that you had to yesterday. maybe i'm combining 2 states in my mind? so they don't have to ever find out? do the doctor's harrass you? if they don't, i'll have to look at WV also.

[mary3mama]

All the states can start to look the same!

No, it is not part of registering to homeschool.

As far as doctors? I'd go with someone in MD...just as a precaution. We're in Harpers Ferry by my children's pediatrician is in Frederick...which is only about 20 minutes away.

The area where we live is beautiful and the cost of living is quite low when you compare it to MD or DC (where dh works/commutes to.)

And the homeschooling requirements are really so easy to work with...way more than they might look to read them. It is all about finding an portfolio reviewer, IMHO, that understands the way you want to homeschool. At least that's pretty darn important for unschoolers like us.

But, really, the drive from the Harpers Ferry/Charles Town area over to Frederick is easy peasy...straight shot over on 340...I go over to Frederick just about weekly to shop at The Common Market.

[meandk0610]

Originally Posted by mary3mama

All the states can start to look the same!

No, it is not part of registering to homeschool.

As far as doctors? I'd go with someone in MD...just as a precaution. We're in Harpers Ferry by my children's pediatrician is in Frederick...which is only about 20 minutes away.

The area where we live is beautiful and the cost of living is quite low when you compare it to MD or DC (where dh works/commutes to.)

And the homeschooling requirements are really so easy to work with...way more than they might look to read them. It is all about finding an portfolio reviewer, IMHO, that understands the way you want to homeschool. At least that's pretty darn important for unschoolers like us.

But, really, the drive from the Harpers Ferry/Charles Town area over to Frederick is easy peasy...straight shot over on 340...I go over to Frederick just about weekly to shop at The Common Market.

thanks so much! i'll check out the prices in the area. (we used to go to Harper's Ferry frequently when i was growing up. now that dd's big enough to walk most of the time without me carrying her, i want to start taking her too. )