how soon to inform school child not attending k anymore

[coffeehouse]

second day of school dd not going she is crying, shaking, clinging and totally distraught, she had a very traumatic first day of school see my original post, now she is telling us that she was thrown against a wall by the staff person who seperated her from me upon departure, and that the k teacher pointed in her face with scary eyes and told my dd to be quiet during my poor dd's 45 minute physical temper tantrum which I now believe was a rage and that the staff was unable to handle it using gentle methods, should I call the school and tell them what my dd told me, husband is hoping that it isn't true and that my dd is saying this to get out of going to school, but I disagree, I want to believe my dd. How do you let the school know your child will not be coming back and what kind of paperwork is involved

[Cullens_Girl]

children don't make things like that up. Even if she is exaggerating, something had to have happened to make your daughter upset - whether it be a confrontation with another adult in the school or even a fellow student.

I would definitely notify the school of what happened (also document it in writing) If it were me and I were able I would pull her out. Depending on the laws in your state you might not have to even notify them of your intent to homeschool until next year. I would tell the school I was pulling her out so they wouldn't worry, but I might not mention that I was schooling at home until I had too.

I'm sure others have been through similar situations that can offer more sound advice. (huggs)

[L&IsMama]

OMG!! How terrible! I wish I could say I was shocked, but unfortunately, these things happen far too often. for your dd and you, mama. I would call the school right NOW and tell them what she told you. Those teachers need to be reprimanded for their actions. :

As for paperwork, it depends on what state you are in.

[elizawill]

i'm so sorry mama. BIG hugs to you and your family. i did read your first post, and my heart just broke for you all then. i don't know if i'd call the school, because it probably won't make a difference at all...and if your dd needs to return for any reason while you transition into HS - you do not want it to be difficult for her there. what state do you live in? if you are planning to homeschool, i would immediately find a good association to join and ask them what your steps need to be. each state varies greatly in HS laws - but i'm sure an MDC member lives in your state and can give you specific details of what you need to do. once your dd is legally out of PS and homeschooling, i would join a homeschool group or co-op, etc. that will help you so much! again, i'm so sorry for what you went through.

[lauracd]

If you could let us know your state then someone could tell you what you need to do. In Florida, if you withdraw your kid from PS you have a week to sign them up for either an umbrella school or sign up with the county as a homeschooler.

[jplain]

While you'll probably have to send in a letter officially withdrawing her from the school, what you need to do next is dependent on the statutes in your state, as well as your daughter's age. If she's below the age of compulsory school attendance in your state, you won't have to do anything official in order to begin homeschooling for kindergarten.

(Italicized portion may very well be incorrect in many states. Sorry about that!)

Good luck!

[coffeehouse]

We live in Florida. Thanks

[elizawill]

here's a link to start:
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/...al/Florida.htm

also, florida is approved for virtual schools, so that might be an option that interest you as well, depending on what you want. if you decide to use a curriculum of your own choice (or no curriculum at all), you can thumb through the threads here to get lots of great suggestions. your dd has to be enrolled in school for 180 days this year - so i would move quickly in this transition. but don't worry, you can definitely do this mama! and you will get lots of support and help here. hugs.

[elizawill]

i just wanted to add that this is a good yahoo group to join as well. everyone is super helpful there!!!!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kindergarten_at_Home/

[sha_lyn]

While you'll probably have to send in a letter officially withdrawing her from the school, what you need to do next is dependent on the statutes in your state, as well as your daughter's age. If she's below the age of compulsory school attendance in your state, you won't have to do anything official in order to begin homeschooling for kindergarten

Actually that isn't true, at least in some states. Once enrolled in the PS, it does not matter if they are under the compulsory age. You must followed the state/school system etc. procedures to withdrawn, file intent to homeschool etc.

[jplain]

Originally Posted by sha_lyn

Actually that isn't true, at least in some states. Once enrolled in the PS, it does not matter if they are under the compulsory age. You must followed the state/school system etc. procedures to withdrawn, file intent to homeschool etc.

Oops, sorry OP!

That's really interesting. I'd not heard that before, but obviously I haven't researched it for every state. Sha_lyn, thank you for correcting me!

A brief perusal of the FL statutes informs me that if a child will turn 6 by Feb 1, s/he must be in school the entire year beginning the prior fall. They also state that a child withdrawing from school must enroll in another acceptable educational option within the specified timeframe. There's no mention of an exemption for children under the age of compulsory attendance.

The relevant statutes can be found here, but a much better way to get answers would be to join a FL-specific homeschooling group (try searching yahoogroups) or ask the FL mamas here.

[Ruthla]

I'm glad you're listening to your DD and protecting her from the school that is frightening her. I know there are great schools out there and wonderful teachers- but this particular teacher obviously isn't one of them!

As for the legalities, it depends on what state you're in. In NYS, you need to mail a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the school district and then they respond and you mail in the IHIP (individualized home instruction plan.) If you're in another state in the USA, then the legal procedure will vary by state. If you're in a country other than the USA, then, once again, the rules will be different.

It might help to look for a homeschooling group (on Yahoo or MSN) in your particular state or country, and ask them for assistance with those kinds of details. Or just do a web search on the homeschooling laws in your area- they could be listed online somewhere.

[chaoticzenmom]

In our state, you have until September 15th to file an intent to homeschool. Look up your states homeschool website (ours is washington homeschool organization) and they can point you into the right direction for getting forms and filling them out.

I doubt that your daughter made anything up. If you have the ability to homeschool, that's great! Your daughter doesn't sound like she's ready to leave you for so long each day anyway.

Good luck
Lisa

[Lillian J]

This is beside the point at the moment, but I have to say that I have to admire your daughter's spunk. She may seem a little clingy right now, but she's got some real fire that's going to carry her well in life.

Meanwhile, I hope it's not feeling overwhelming for you and her dad to face the possibility of homeschooling for at least a while. Having a grown homeschool grad who's having a wonderful life, I can tell you that the kindergarten year is absolutely nothing to worry about in any way . And it's actually fairly common for people to find themselves thrust into it this suddenly for similar reasons.

Here are some places to look for support groups:
Home Ed Mag

NHEN

A - Z

And, of course, you can also search in Yahoo groups to see if there might be an email group for a group in your area.

Do take a look through this article I put together after years of seeing the question over and over of what to do for kindergarten - it has a lot of ideas and links that may help you feel more relaxed: A Homeschool Curriculum for Preschool and Kindergarten. The little guy in the red sweatshirt was mine, but he's a very big guy now ...

If you do some special things right now, like some baking together, crafts, nature walks, and trips to the library for wonderful books, it will help with the transition. Do hang around this forum a bit and spit out any questions or trepidation you're dealing with - there's lots of support here. Gee, come to think of it, I sure wish I'd had access to something like this when my own child had a rocky time with school! Wow, would that have made a difference... - Lillian

[ftlmom2001]

hi I'm in florida and as far as I know all that the law says is that you have got 30 days from the day that you start to homeschool to notify you county of your intent to homeschool. Just send in a letter of intent. you can check out the fpea website for more details http://www.fpea.com/
you really don't have to say anything to the school about your wanting to take her out. feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[elizawill]

i looked at the fl website, and it does look like you need to go to your district school's superintendent's office immediately to withdraw her and begin homeschooling. before filling out the paperwork, i would call your local HS association and join. they will probably do the paperwork for you.

[coffeehouse]

Thanks to all of you special women for the information you've provided

you have helped our family so much in this time of needed god bless you

[Wugmama]

I'm so glad you are able to pull her out of school, especially under the circumstances!

Best wishes,
Tracy

[lauracd]

Originally Posted by coffeehouse

We live in Florida. Thanks

Check your pm. I sent you some information about the laws in Florida.

[coldfeet]

Your poor little girl! I agree with Lillian, though... she definitely has some spunk and that's awesome!

At our school, I just went down there and told them that we were pulling them out and they had me fill out a very short form which included the reason we were pulling them out. We live in CO, so it might be completely different that FL.